Street Fighter broke through billboards and brought live combat to Times Square

Press a giant arcade button in Times Square and a performer throws a punch. For Street Fighter’s upcoming film, Paramount and Legendary brought the game’s controls into a public square and put real people on the other side of them. Across the country, billboards appeared to have taken hits from the same fighters.

The two outdoor executions gave the film’s action a place in the city. One made advertising surfaces look damaged by combat. The other let fans help direct the fight.

The billboards appeared to take the blows

In Los Angeles, Street Fighter’s outdoor campaign treated the billboard itself as part of the action. Fighters appeared to break through the advertising surface, with torn sections and dimensional elements extending the scene beyond the printed image.

One execution carried the line “F Around and Find Out”. A fighter seemed to burst through the panel beside the large lettering. The challenge in the copy had a visible consequence, with the advertising surface appearing to absorb the impact.

Another execution featured Ryu performing his Hadouken. Torn details and figures of construction workers hanging from the damaged display made the attack look as though it had interrupted work on the billboard.

That use of the structure gave the film’s fighting moves a scale people could encounter on the street. The edge of the advertisement became part of the scene, connecting the characters’ force with something outside their fictional world.

Giant buttons put fans in charge at Father Duffy Square

On October 7, 2026, the campaign reached Father Duffy Square in New York’s Times Square. The installation featured an oversized arcade setup, complete with a giant joystick and buttons.

Inside it, performers dressed as Ryu and Ken acted out live fights. Audience members used the controls, and the performers responded with choreographed movements. The familiar relationship between player and character carried over into a physical performance.

The setup gave visitors two ways to take part. They could watch a fight unfold in front of them or step up to the controls and influence the action. People gathered around the installation became an audience for whoever was playing.

Cast members also appeared at the event, connecting the live experience with the film being promoted. Noah Centineo, who plays Ken Masters, was among the guests. The arcade setting gave those appearances a connection to the game’s central activity, with fighting and participation continuing around them.

An arcade game supplied the language for a film launch

The film is set in 1993, placing its story within the arcade era that shaped Street Fighter’s popularity. Andrew Koji plays Ryu, alongside Centineo as Ken and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. Its US theatrical release is scheduled for October 16, 2026.

The outdoor work carries that arcade connection into the launch. The billboards suggest what happens when the fighters reach beyond their frame. In Times Square, the giant controls give fans a familiar way to meet them.

Together, the two executions put the franchise’s moves and player interaction into public space, ahead of their arrival on the cinema screen.

Credits

Street Fighter outdoor film promotion (2026). Paramount Pictures and Legendary Entertainment, United States. Property originated by Capcom. Formats include special-build billboards in Los Angeles and an interactive live-performance installation at Father Duffy Square, Times Square, New York. Times Square event held on October 7, 2026. Film directed by Kitao Sakurai.