The video-game adaptation machine rolls on this Friday as Street Fighter punches its way into theaters worldwide. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, the new take on the legendary fighting franchise stars Andrew Koji alongside Noah Centineo. It is one of several new theatrical releases jostling for attention this weekend, arriving in the UK, North America, and markets around the globe.

Koji, known for his martial-arts credentials on screen, is a natural fit for a franchise built on hand-to-hand combat, while Centineo brings mainstream star power to the ensemble. The film is Sakurai's third directorial outing, and he has the unenviable task of succeeding where previous Street Fighter adaptations famously stumbled. The games' colorful roster of fighters demands spectacle, and the trailers promise plenty of it.

The competition this weekend is fierce. Horror title Other Mommy sits atop both the UK and North American box offices after last weekend, and our box office coverage this month shows how hard a reigning champion can be to dislodge. Street Fighter will need strong opening-night energy from its fanbase to carve out screens against established hits.

Video-game movies have had a genuine renaissance over the past few years, and each new release is now judged against that higher bar rather than the genre's checkered past. Fans of ambitious adaptations can also follow our coverage of upcoming game-inspired trailers, while the season's cinematic showcase announcements offer a look at what is coming next on the bigger screen.

Sakurai's action-comedy sensibilities could be the film's secret weapon — Street Fighter at its best is as much about personality as it is about punches. If the film captures the games' over-the-top spirit instead of sanding it down, it has a real shot at winning over both longtime players and curious newcomers.

The film opens in theaters on October 16. Whether it lands as a knockout or a first-round exit will be clear by Monday's box office numbers, but either way, it marks another big test for gaming's continuing conquest of Hollywood.