“The Mummy” is no match for “Wonder Woman.”
During its first weekend in theaters, the Tom Cruise monster movie debuted at No. 2, earning a tepid $32 million in North American grosses. “Wonder Woman” retained the top spot, collecting an impressive $57.2 million.
That “Wonder Woman” figure is especially noteworthy because superhero flicks tend to see steep declines ― about 60 percent ― during their second weekend in theaters, once the most faithful fanboys and -girls have already scurried to the multiplexes. The first major comic-book adaptation directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins’ film fell by only 45 percent, the least of any modern superhero movie.
“Woman” has now accrued about $205 million domestically and another $230.2 from foreign markets.
This weekend’s tallies are as much a victory for “Wonder Woman” as they are a defeat for the critically derided “Mummy.” Other recent big-screen iterations of the character ― 1999’s “The Mummy” (starring Brendan Fraser), 2001’s “The Mummy Returns,” 2002’s “The Scorpion King” and 2008’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” ― premiered to heftier sums.
Universal Pictures has a lot riding on this latest reboot, as it is meant to launch the Dark Universe, an expensive franchise that’s slated to span several movies. Stateside audiences were largely uninterested in the inaugural installment, putting the Dark Universe in a precarious position. That said, major studios often rely on international grosses to support tentpole releases nowadays, and this weekend’s $141.8 million in overseas revenue means Universal can, on some level, ignore domestic patrons’ ambivalence.
Holdovers “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” ($12.3 million), “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” ($10.7 million) and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” ($6.2 million) round out the Top 5.
Another winner: “It Comes at Night,” a low-budget horror film that trendy indie studio A24 released nationwide. The post-apocalyptic chiller collected $6 million, a decent total for a low-budget title costing $5 million.
“Baywatch” ($4.6 million), “Megan Leavey” ($3.8 million), “Alien: Covenant” ($1.8 million) and “Everything, Everything” ($1.6 million) complete the Top 10.
