As one could have surmised from last weekend’s reception toPatty Jenkins’Wonder Woman,The Mummyhas a tough few days ahead of it if it’s hoping to topple the DCEU’s best film by a country mile from its spot at the top of the box office.
This morning brings news thatWonder Womanwas able to beat outThe Mummyon Friday, with Jenkins' film bringing in $15.8 million andThe Mummybringing in a little over $14 million, which also includes theTom Cruisevehicle’s $2.7 million from Thursday previews. These are not blow-out numbers but no one was expectingThe Mummyto do particularly big business as compared to, say, a Marvel picture or the latest in a well-established franchise likePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which is now looking at a $12 million weekend. In comparison,The Mummyis a reboot of a remake meant to induct a new extended universe for Universal and though it’s already given Cruise his best opening in China to date, its domestic sights should be set a little lower than usual for Cruise.
Meanwhile, the near-universal love forWonder Womanshould keep the movie in the sunlight until next week whenCars 3motors into town. If it is somehow able to defeat the Pixar flick, it will certainly be brought down byMichael Bay’sTransformers: The Last Knightthe weekend after. The introduction of those two blockbusters will likely see bothGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will likely cling onto the fifth spot by the end of the weekend, andCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, looking at number three for the weekend with $13 million, head down into the lower half of the box office top ten.
It’s unclear if either the latestCarsorTransformersentries will be able to give the box office the adrenaline rush thatWonder Womangave upon its opening weekend, however. For all its issues, and there are plenty,Wonder Womanrepresents something new, both in its overall plot and in its unique dramatic structure, as compared to both its DCEU brethren and superhero films in general.Transformersmight be bringing in nazis, knights, and lord knows what else, andCars 3may be trying for a darker tone from the looks of it, but they are not new, fresh, audacious, or any other synonym you might be able to think or look up. That’s one of about a dozen reasons why Jenkins' film feels so galvanizing.
