The latest glimpse of Tom Cruise’s upcoming battle against the forces of evil has arrived with a new IMAX poster for The Mummy. The first film in Universal’s resurrection of its lengthy monster movie lineage – recently dubbed the Dark Universe – The Mummy will see Cruise battle an ancient “ultimate evil” that was once the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet, after unearthing her sarcophagus.
With its final trailer now just a matter of days old, Universal is entering the end stages of promotion for the mysterious action/adventure film. So far, The Mummy has the look and feel of the sort of rollercoaster ride that only Tom Cruise can provide, while promising to pave the way for future Dark Universe titles such as the Russell Crowe led Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - despite recent news that these films will all essentially be standalone efforts at their core.
This new IMAX poster however (courtesy of Collider), shows Cruise venturing into the depths of terror, as he dangles before the massive sarcophagus of Princes Ahmanet, aka The Mummy. There isn’t anything else on display other than Cruise and the ancient tomb of the betrayed monarch’s daughter, creating a chilling hint of intrusion into a world that Cruise’s character will undoubtedly soon come to regret.
Universal’s monster movie legacy has been a substantial part of its 105 year old history and while numerous efforts have been made over the years to continue that tradition, to date nothing as substantial as the Dark Universe has been attempted. With titles such as The Wolfman, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and Creature From the Black Lagoon set for new life, The Mummy is already highlighting the modern reimagining of a classic, by making its iconic villain female and bringing its protagonists – Cruise and Annabelle Wallis (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) back from the dead to do battle against her.
And while all this sounds like it could make for quite an exciting journey on the part of Universal, initial box-office projections aren’t indicating as much. An expected $40 million opening weekend isn’t exactly ideal for a film of this magnitude – particularly when one considers how much is riding on The Mummy’s overall success. The truth of the matter however, is that there are never any guarantees in Hollywood and a film that isn’t expected to perform spectacularly well could just as easily end up surprising everyone. Tom Cruise quite often has a knack for creating edge-of-the-seat thrillers and should The Mummy prove to be yet another example of this ability, positive word of mouth could do wonders for both The Mummy and Universal’s Dark Universe.
As usual, time will tell what The Mummy will bring to this summer’s busy blockbuster line up. This latest IMAX poster is but one more peek at a film that promises to have a scope as huge as its expectations. If it can succeed in delivering on everything that Universal’s monster lineage has always aimed for, then there’s every reason to believe the Dark Universe is going to be something special. At the same time, even if the film falls short, there’s an abundance of classic monster tropes on their way – the likes of which will learn from the highs and lows of The Mummy’s release.
NEXT: Johnny Depp & Javier Bardem Confirmed for Dark Universe
Source: Collider
