Mortal Kombat II is set to make its global streaming debut on HBO Max after earning £96 million at the worldwide box office.

Giving audiences another chance to watch the latest adaptation of the long-running video game franchise, it will be available online from 24 July, with the sequel expanding the mythology introduced in 2021.,

It brings fighter Johnny Cage into the story while reuniting many of the series' established warriors for the long-awaited Mortal Kombat tournament.

Warner Bros. has also confirmed an American Sign Language version of the film will be available on the platform from the same day.

Directed by Simon McQuoid, who returned to the franchise after making his feature directorial debut with the first Mortal Kombat film, the sequel follows martial arts star Johnny Cage as he is recruited by Raiden and Sonya Blade to fight alongside Earthrealm's champions against Shao Kahn and the forces of Outworld.

The film introduces The Boys star Karl Urban as Cage - a casting which attracted significant attention following his portrayal of Billy Butcher in the hit Prime Video series, which recently concluded with its fifth and final season.

Alongside Karl, the sequel adds Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka.

Simon said the sequel continues to build on the world introduced in the first film, with Johnny Cage joining Earthrealm's defenders as they prepare to face Shao Kahn in the tournament that fans of the video game series have long expected to see brought to the screen.

Warner Bros. said the film will begin streaming globally on HBO Max on 24 July, with its HBO television premiere following on 25 July.

Returning to the franchise are Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.

The original Mortal Kombat reboot introduced Cole Young as a new protagonist while reimagining many of the franchise's most recognisable characters.

The sequel shifts the focus towards the tournament itself, bringing fan favourites including Johnny Cage, Kitana, Shao Kahn and Baraka into the story for the first time in the rebooted series.

Karl's casting as Johnny Cage proved one of the film's biggest talking points following the success of The Boys.

His performance in the superhero satire helped establish him as one of television's best-known action stars, while he is also recognised for roles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Éomer, Star Trek as Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy and Dredd.

The sequel also marks Simon's second outing behind the camera after launching the reboot in 2021. Following the film's box office performance, the director recently said there has been no official decision on a third instalment, despite the ending leaving the door open for another chapter in the franchise.