The Mummy' Rises in Asia, Not U.S.
June 11 2017 - 12:52PM
Dow Jones News
By Ben Fritz
Tom Cruise's "The Mummy" was buried at the U.S. box office this
weekend by "Wonder Woman," but looked more alive overseas thanks to
a strong start in China.
The reboot of the cinematic monster from Comcast Corp.'s
Universal Pictures. opened to a weak $32.2 million in the U.S. and
Canada, according to studio estimates.
That was well behind the $57.2 million second weekend in
theaters for "Wonder Woman," from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros.
That film's ticket sales dropped only 45%, the smallest for any
superhero movie since 2005's "Batman Begins" and a sign of its
strong word-of-mouth.
"Wonder Woman" has now grossed a total of $205 million
domestically and $230.2 million overseas. Just as importantly, it
has revived fan excitement for Warner's DC superhero brand on the
big screen after fans and critics were largely dissatisfied with
last year's "Suicide Squad" and "Batman v Superman," despite good
box-office grosses.
"The Mummy" didn't enjoy such a positive reaction. Reviews were
poor, and those who turned out opening night gave it an average
grade of B- according to market research firm CinemaScore.
"The Mummy" is the latest in a series of domestic box-office
disappointments for Mr. Cruise, including "Jack Reacher: Never Go
Back," "Edge of Tomorrow," "Oblivion" and "Rock of Ages." The
"Mission: Impossible" franchise has been a notable exception for
him.
But while American audiences have become less likely to rush out
to his films, "The Mummy" indicated that he, and big-budget
action-adventure films in general, remain particularly popular in
East Asia.
"The Mummy" posted very strong openings of $52.2 million in
China and $17.8 million in South Korea, both of which were records
for films starring Mr. Cruise.
Overall, it grossed $141.8 million internationally. Its openings
were less robust in countries such as the United Kingdom and
Australia, where it was beat by "Wonder Woman."
Universal's domestic and international distribution chiefs
Nicholas Carpou and Duncan Clark said they were pleased with the
total global debut of $174 million.
Because studios ultimately generate the most profits from ticket
sales in the U.S. and other Western nations, though, "The Mummy"
may not be as profitable as films that perform better domestically.
Universal spent about $125 million to make it.
The studio is hoping to use "The Mummy" to launch a series of
connected movies in a connected "cinematic universe." Executives at
Universal have said the performance of "The Mummy" won't sway their
plans for other films in development. Next up on its release
calendar is "Bride of Frankenstein" in February 2019.
Write to Ben Fritz at ben.fritz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 11, 2017 13:37 ET (17:37 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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