The Mummy (2017 film)

Did You Know?

• An IMAX trailer released on December 20, 2016, had the wrong audio track, missing most sound effects and featuring only Tom Cruise's grunts and screams, prompting memes and DMCA takedown notices.
• Two video games based on the film, The Mummy Demastered and The Mummy: Dark Universe Stories, were released on October 24, 2017; both received positive reviews, unlike the film.
• A manga series set concurrently with the film, The Mummy: Dark Stories, was released by GANMA! from July 15 to 29, 2017.

Plot

In ancient Egypt, Princess Ahmanet, after being displaced from the line of succession by a newborn brother, makes a pact with the deity Set. She murders her family and attempts to free Set using a ceremonial dagger, but is captured and mummified alive by priests, her sarcophagus buried far away. In present-day London, construction workers uncover a crusader knight's tomb containing an Egyptian ruby, and Dr. Henry Jekyll takes charge. In Iraq, former U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton and Corporal Chris Vail discover Ahmanet's tomb, inadvertently reviving her. British archaeologist Jenny Halsey joins them as they transport the sarcophagus to Britain. During the flight, Chris is possessed by Ahmanet via a spider bite and attacks the others; Nick kills him. Crows cause the plane to crash, killing the crew except Jenny, who escapes with a parachute from Nick. Nick revives in a morgue, and Chris's ghost tells him Ahmanet has cursed him to be a vessel for Set. Ahmanet regenerates by feeding on people, turning them into zombies, and retrieves the Dagger of Set. She tries to stab Nick but finds the ruby missing. Prodigium soldiers subdue her. Jekyll reveals Jenny works for Prodigium, a secret society hunting supernatural threats. Jekyll plans to let Set possess Nick to make Set vulnerable, then transforms into Eddie Hyde. Nick stops him with a serum and escapes with Jenny. Ahmanet regains the dagger, summons crusader zombies, creates a sandstorm, and recovers the ruby to free Set.

Production

The planned fourth entry, The Mummy: Rise of the Aztecs, would have been set in South America with Antonio Banderas as villain, and Rob Cohen interested in directing, with Brendan Fraser and John Hannah reportedly on board. Universal opted to reboot the series in April 2012. Jon Spaihts, writer of Prometheus, was hired to write, aiming to return to horror roots while expanding the scale. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci joined, signing a two-year deal to produce The Mummy and a Van Helsing reimagining. Len Wiseman was selected to direct in September 2012, planning a contemporary setting different from the Fraser films, with a darker tone. Universal anticipated a 2014 release and wanted production in 2013. Billy Ray was contracted to write a competing draft as a contingency. Wiseman left in July 2013 to focus on Sleepy Hollow. Andy Muschietti became front-runner in September, with an April 2016 release date set. Muschietti exited in May 2014 because producers favored a family-friendly action-adventure approach over his darker tone.

Reception

The Mummy grossed $80.2 million in the United States and Canada and $329.8 million elsewhere, totaling $410 million worldwide. With combined production and marketing costs of $345 million, it needed $450 million to break even and lost the studio $60–95 million. In North America, it opened in 4,034 theaters, projected at $35–40 million, but after a $12 million first day, projections fell to $30 million; it debuted at $31.7 million, the lowest in the Mummy franchise, finishing second behind Wonder Woman. Deadline Hollywood attributed the underperformance to poor critic and audience reactions and blockbuster fatigue. In its second weekend it dropped 54.2% to $14.5 million, finishing fourth. Overseas, it opened in 63 territories and debuted to $140.7 million, the biggest foreign opening of Tom Cruise's career. In South Korea it grossed $6.6 million on its first day, a record for both Cruise and Universal. Other opening weekend figures included $52.4 million in China, $7.4 million in Russia, $4.9 million in Mexico, and $4.2 million in the United Kingdom.

Cancelled franchise

The Mummy was part of Universal's Dark Universe, an attempt to create a modern cinematic universe based on classic Universal Monsters films. A remake of Bride of Frankenstein, with Angelina Jolie attached, was scheduled for February 14, 2019, but was postponed indefinitely on October 5, 2017. Dracula Untold was initially considered the first film in the series, but that connection was downplayed, and The Mummy was repositioned as the first. On May 22, 2017, the Dark Universe Twitter account posted an image of Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Johnny Depp (attached for The Invisible Man), Javier Bardem (signed to play Frankenstein's monster), and Russell Crowe. By late 2017, Kurtzman and Morgan had left their roles as creative leads. Kurtzman confirmed in 2019 he was no longer involved. By 2019, Universal returned to stand-alone features, ending the Dark Universe.