Yet another classic movie franchise is coming back from the dead. As reported by Variety, Universal is allegedly developing The Mummy 4, with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz pegged to return as treasure hunter Rick and sassy Egyptologist, Evelyn.
The Mummy from 1999, a remake of the 1930s monster movie, was an instant hit, spawning two sequels. The last film in the original series premiered in 2008. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor not only swapped Egypt for China, but also recast Maria Bello as Evelyn. The movie performed well at the box office, though its gross was the lowest in the franchise’s history.
This was probably one of the reasons why Universal Studios decided to reboot the series in the 2010s. The Mummy from 2017, starring Tom Cruise, was set to be the first entry in the Dark Universe, inspired by the classic Universal Monsters film series. Sadly, poor reviews and a disappointing box-office run of the new Mummy flick buried those plans.
However, nothing is lost in Hollywood – Universal executives are once again apparently resurrecting The Mummy. However, the studio wants to ignore the 2017 flop and create a direct sequel to the third movie, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The Mummy 4 is set to be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo behind Ready or Not, Scream and Scream VI.
But does the film really have a chance to succeed in contemporary box office, while many big-budget movies are struggling to make a profit?
Revivals aren’t a guaranteed success
When I heard about reviving The Mummy, the first thing that came to mind was Indiana Jones.
Following the iconic trilogy from the 1980s, Disney first revived Indy in 2008. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t bomb, but reviews were mixed. It took 15 years to bring Harrison Ford’s brave archaeologist back to the big screen – and this time, he faced a defeat.
The combination of a legendary hero, ancient mystery and a hit movie star of the 1970s/80s was still not a big enough draw for viewers, and as such Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny failed to make a profit.
While the original Mummy films came out a little later than than the first three Indian Jones movies, there are some worrying similarities that studios may be overlooking in favour of banking on pop culture throwbacks.
Universal Pictures
The Mummy is little known to today’s teens and twenty-somethings. With all due respect to Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser, I doubt that they are stars who are household names among younger viewers, a critical target audience from a marketing perspective.
But does The Mummy have enough die-hard fans to succeed on a wave of nostalgia? Let’s hope so. Otherwise, the film may share the fate of another recent comeback, namely Tron: Ares.
The much-hyped third instalment of the sci-fi franchise that kicked off in the 1980s turned out to be a film no one was waiting for. The original movie’s fanbase was too small. Most viewers who remembered the first film didn’t have enough affection to buy a ticket. Most importantly, most younger generation were completely unfamiliar with the universe.
As for other spectacular flops in recent years, Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga also failed to stir up enough excitement, despite the triumph of Mad Max: Fury Road a few years earlier.
Universal Pictures
Of course, there are also successful comebacks of iconic franchises.
Jurassic Park, renamed Jurassic World, continues to deliver box office hits even though each subsequent film descends further into absurdity. Alien has had its ups and downs, but it’s still going strong, while last year, Twisters became a surprising smash. The Predator series is also doing quite well.
Therefore, The Mummy 4 isn’t doomed to fail. It could turn out to be a surprise success, even though it will be difficult for it to in today’s film industry, where streaming dominates.
Although, I must ask: when will Hollywood stop chasing its own tail? Now and then, a film like Sinners comes along, proving that audiences are hungry for something new. Sadly, it doesn’t prevent the exploitation of old franchises – I expect there are still many resurrected mummies to come.
