Brendan Fraser on Why Tom Cruise’s ‘The Mummy’ Reboot Bombed After His Hit Trilogy

Brendan Fraser has thoughts on why Tom Cruise’s The Mummy reboot didn’t achieve the same box office success as his fan-favorite trilogy.

Appearing at Fan Expo Denver, per Collider, Fraser, 56, looked back on the beloved franchise and shared his take on the reason behind the 2017 reboot bombing at the box office. 

While discussing Universal’s failed attempt to build the Dark Universe with 2017’s The Mummy and 2020’s The Invisible Man, Fraser was asked whether or not there was ever going to be any form of crossover between the films.

“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…” Fraser said onstage as he reunited with his costars John Hannah, Patricia Velasquez and Oded Fehr.

The Oscar winner went on to share, “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.”

“The answer is you’ve just got to give everybody what they really, really want. If you stray from that path…” Fraser added.

Back in 2022, Fraser told Variety that he thought Cruise’s The Mummy was “too much of a straight-ahead horror movie.”

“The Mummy should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary,” he added. “I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times.”

Fraser’s hit franchise started in 1999 with The Mummy, also starring Hannah, 63, and Rachel Weisz, and was followed by 2001’s The Mummy Returns, with the likes of Dwayne Johnson joining the cast, and 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

As for whether he’d ever be up for revisiting the franchise, Fraser told Variety, “I don’t know how it would work,” he admits. “But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit.”

The 1999 movie (an update of the 1932 classic film) celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and is credited with launching Fraser to superstardom and making his onscreen love interest Weisz, 55, a major star.

While Fraser played dashing adventurer and explorer Rick O’Connell, Cruise’s later take on the movie saw him play U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton, who accidentally disturbs the ancient tomb of a mummy princess (Sofia Boutella). Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, and Russell Crowe were also among the cast.

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According to Collider, the film lost an estimated $100 million for Universal and bombed critically.

The movie’s director, Alex Kurtzman, also called the film the “biggest failure of my life, both personally and professionally,” while appearing on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast in 2022.

The Dark Universe, which was set to be a cinematic monster universe, was also canceled following the film’s release.