THURSDAY The RT number is down to 22. Ouch!
WEDNESDAY It’s been a bad day for Tom Cruise and Universal. They unveiled “The Mummy” last night with reviews embargoed until today at noon.
Let’s just say the reviews have been more frightening than the movie. So far Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 27, which is good considering some of the reviews have been much worse than that.
Indeed, Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Nashawaty gave it a B minus score and panned the movie. But Rotten Tomatoes listed that as “fresh.” Nashawaty told me on Twitter he doesn’t decide between ‘fresh’ and ‘rotten’ on RT. It’s their call. (This often happens– negative review but positive count– I don’t know why.)
From the Fort Worth Star Telegram: “Universal is counting on “The Mummy” and its successors to make it a competitor with Disney/Marvel and Warner Bros./DC and their ever-expanding world of comic-book-based characters. Guys, you might want to have a backup plan. ”
Variety: “The Mummy” is a literal-minded, bumptious monster mash of a movie. It keeps throwing things at you, and the more you learn about the ersatz intricacy of its “universe,” the less compelling it becomes.
Newark Star Ledger: “Unlike the old movies that supposedly inspired it, “The Mummy” has no atmosphere, no menace, no romance.”
One blogger said maybe it was the worst Tom Cruise movie ever.
Well, at least we know Cruise and Universal will be back in the fall with a potential hit in “American Made.”
But for now, box office looks bleak. “Wonder Woman” will rope in many more audience members this weekend.
Universal marketing must be cursing the fates. The original plan was no premiere in the US, keep it all in London and abroad. Things just went wrong.
