20 Things You Didn't Know About Mortal Kombat
9. Paul W.S. Anderson Flew To Hawaii To Avoid The Bad Buzz
Mortal Kombat was only director Paul W.S. Anderson's second movie, and his first working with a major studio.
Anderson, a director with no prior action experience, was incredibly nervous about how the film would be received, and so decided to take a vacation to Hawaii with his girlfriend just as the movie hit cinemas.
Ultimately Anderson's fears were proved wrong, as despite mixed reviews the film opened at #1, scoring the second-highest August opening in history at the time. Anderson said of the experience:
"I was so terrified of the opening. Was it going to open? Was it not going to open? Was I going to have a career? Was I going to get kicked out of America? I thought, 'God, the last place I want to be is in L.A. I just want to go somewhere else.'
I went to Hawaii with my girlfriend at the time, and of course we get to the middle of absolute nowhere in Hawaii and I read the movie is No. 1. And I go 'Damnit! Why aren't we in L.A.? I've got the number one movie. I should be in L.A. making the most of it.' I'd already paid to go to Hawaii, so we ended up staying there.