included the game, as well as the original Mortal Kombat and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Reception SalesMortal Kombat II proved to be an enormous commercial success and even a cultural phenomenon. WMS Industries, owner of Midway at the time, reported its 1993 sales in the quarter ending December 31 rose to $101 million from $86 million and said much of its revenue gain was related to the sale of the arcade version of MKII. It went on to become America's highest-grossing arcade game of 1994 according to the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA). By 1996, the number of arcade machines sold approached 25,000 units; at that time, arcade games that sold 5,000 units were considered strong titles (Midway printed special T-shirts to celebrate 300 machines being manufactured in one day) and an arcade cabinet cost $3,000–4,000. The arcade version went on to sell 27,000 units, and grossed . MKII was considered an arcade game of the year, taking over from the original Mortal Kombat. On the day of the release of the game's first four versions for cartridge-based console systems (Sega's Genesis and Game Gear and Nintendo's SNES and Game Boy), dubbed "Mortal Friday" (September 9, 1994),William Schiffermann, Mortal Kombat II; For Sega Genesis and Game Gear, Nintendo SNES and Game Boy , Associated Press, October 14, 1994. an unprecedented number of more than 2.5 million copies were shipped to be distributed, with the best opening-week sales in video game history at that point. Acclaim's analysts expected that the number of copies sold would reach at least 2.5 million within the first few weeks of release (at an average retail price of $60) and the sales to top $150 million by the end of the year.Denise Gellene, Nintendo's Looser Stance on Violence Means a Bloody Mortal Kombat II , LA Times, September 09, 1994. In the first week of its console release, the game made sales to $50 million, which Acclaim Entertainment said was "The largest introduction of a video game in history". Distribution of over 2.5 million copies around 15,000 stores required 65 trucks and 11 jumbo jets. First-week sales of over $50 million in the United States surpassed the opening box office results of that season's Hollywood film blockbusters, such as Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Mask and The Lion King.Mortal Kombat Sales , New York Times, September 23, 1994. Approximately units were shipped to stores within