Early tracking numbers suggest that The Mummy, the first entry in the Universal Monsters shared universe, will open with $40 million-plus during its debut weekend at the North American box office.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that two services close to the site’s sources placed the opening at $40 million and $42 million, not including international markets. While box office tracking isn’t always entirely accurate, it usually gives a ballpark estimate of what numbers a movie may be heading toward.
A $40 million debut would be decent (if perhaps slightly lower than ideal for Universal) and on par with that of 1999’s The Mummy and 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, two films from the previous Brendan Frasier-led incarnation of the franchise. Assuming that the film isn’t too top-heavy and at least gets a 2.5x multiplier, The Mummy would just barely climb over the coveted $100 million mark.
The Mummy has always been a foreign market-friendly franchise, with foreign numbers making up anywhere from 55%-75% of each previous installment’s worldwide box office total. Therefore, while domestic numbers are obviously important, the overall success or failure of the film and the forecast for the future of the Universal Monsters shared universe will largely be judged by its performance overseas.
As for lead actor Tom Cruise, the debut would be above-average compared to his recent non-Mission: Impossible starring vehicles, including Oblivion ($37 million) and Edge of Tomorrow ($28 million).
The movie is still three weeks out from release, so expect plenty of Mummy-themed advertising to be coming your way between now and early June.
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Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
The Mummy is set for release on June 9th, 2017, with Alex Kurtzman directing a cast that also includes Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle), Jake Johnson (New Girl), Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys).
