The lean period that the box office has been experiencing in recent weeks, perhaps a side effect of last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, has encouraged a string of re-releases of older classics. WhileDuneandShrek 2had solid recent runs, not to mention the ongoing re-release of every live-action Spider-Man movie, this past weekend saw the re-issue ofRidley Scott’sAlienand directorStephen Sommers’The Mummy, which iscelebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Whether we like it or not, millennials are now old enough to revisit childhood favorites in theaters.
Over 1,200 of them across North America playedThe Mummythis weekend. Originally released in 1999, the filmgrossed a little over $1 million in three days, falling short ofthe $1.5 million thatAlienmadefrom 1,700 nationwide theaters, and the $1.4 million thattheShrek 2re-releasehad generated in its first three days a couple of weeks ago.The Mummy’scumulative global gross now stands at $417 million, with $156 million coming from domestic theaters. The filmserved as a reboot ofthe classic Universal Monsters franchise, and spawned two sequels and a spin-off before being rebooted itself several years later.
The film also cementedBrendan Fraserasone of the biggest movie stars of the 1990s. Fraser experienced a bit of a career slump in the 2010s, before his grand rebound a couple of years ago with his Oscar-winning performance inDarren Aronofsky’sThe Whale. He reprized his role as the adventurer Rick O’Connell in 2001’sThe Mummy Returns, which was an even bigger hit with $435 million in global box office revenue.He played Rick one last timein 2008’sThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, directed byRob Cohen. The movie grossed $405 million worldwide. Sommers went on to direct big-budget films such asVan HelsingandG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but hasn’t directed a feature film in over a decade.
The Mummy Films
Global Box Office
The Mummy (1999)
$417 million
The Mummy Returns (2001)
$435 million
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
$405 million
Fraser’s Three ‘Mummy’ Movies Grossed a Combined Total of $1.2 Billion Worldwide
The Mummy franchise was rebooted in 2017, with the ill-fatedTom Cruisevehicle of the same name. The film was designed to spawn a shared universe of Universal Monsters films, but its lukewarm box office — $410 million worldwide — and toxic reviewsbrought the entire franchise crashing down. Universal pivoted to focusing on standalone director-driven projects in the aftermath of the Dark Universe’s failure; the studio tasted success with this strategy in early 2020, withThe Invisible Manreboot. Also starringRachel Weisz,John Hannah, andArnold Vosloo,The Mummyiscurrently playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
At an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.
