Before The Mummy launched the Dark Universe into a coffin-sized crater at the box office, it was Brendan Fraser’s swashbuckling 1999 version that had fans clinging to their seats — and loving every second of it. At Fan Expo Denver, The Mummy cast — Fraser, John Hannah, Patricia Velasquez, and Oded Fehr — reunited on stage, moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, to look back at the franchise’s enduring appeal. Naturally, the conversation turned to Universal’s failed attempt to build a cinematic monster universe with The Mummy (2017), Dr. Jekyll, The Invisible Man (almost), and…well, that’s about it.
When asked if any sort of crossover was ever on the table during their era — possibly even one with Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing — Fraser made it clear that whatever the ambitions of the newer version were, they didn’t quite understand the assignment. “I really don’t know. I know Tom Cruise tried to make his movie and it ain’t easy! We all know how hard this movie is to make…” To be clear, Fraser wasn’t taking shots at Cruise — he knows firsthand how hard it is to sell audiences on mummies, monsters, and mysterious ancient curses. But what did his movies have that the 2017 reboot didn’t? Fun. Plain and simple.
“With the exception of three [The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor], the thing with all of these films is that, at least it was fun, it was a thrill ride, and you wanted to do it again.”
Why Did Tom Cruise’s ‘The Mummy’ Fail?
Fraser hit the nail on the head. While The Mummy (1999) and its sequels (well, one of them) had romance, horror, sword fights, one-liners, and wall-to-wall charisma, Universal’s attempt at a cinematic monster-verse felt more like a moody PowerPoint presentation. All setup, no soul. All lore, no laughs. Brendan didn’t mince words when diagnosing what went wrong:
“The answer is you’ve just got to give everybody what they really really want. If you stray from that path…”
We know exactly how that sentence finishes, because that’s what the 2017 film did. The movie starred Cruise as a treasure-hunting military guy named Nick Morton who stumbles across a tomb, unleashes Sofia Boutella’s undead princess, and ends up… turning into some sort of monster god with a heart of gold? The movie tried to introduce Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll (yes, that Jekyll) as the Nick Fury of the Dark Universe, but by the time audiences reached the post-credits tease, most were already heading for the exit.
Despite Cruise’s star power and a big marketing push (remember that awkward cast promo image with him, Bardem, Depp, and Crowe?), the film bombed critically and commercially, earning dreadful reviews and losing an estimated $100 million for Universal. The entire Dark Universe crumbled before a second movie could even shoot.
If Universal ever wants to bring the monsters back (and let’s be honest, they always do), they might want to stick to what Fraser already figured out 25 years ago: audiences just want a good time at the movies.
