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Despite Domestic Woes, The Mummy Crushes International Box Office

Published

7 years ago

June 11, 2017

The first entry to Universal’s Dark Universe may have had a lackluster opening weekend at the domestic box office, but elsewhere, the Tom Cruise-powered reboot is making a killing.

As predicted, The Mummy made a little less than $35 million this weekend in the United States. Despite this, Variety reports that the Alex Kurtzman-directed film is expected to make more than $141.8 million by the end of the weekend. Combined with the United States’ $32.2 million, that makes a whopping $174 million in total. Not bad.

Universal

This is the biggest opening that veteran action star Tom Cruise has accomplished in his career thus far. The majority of ticket sales come from China, with South Korea coming in second. In total, the two territories brought in $70 million.

Many have voiced their doubts about the planned Dark Universe’s future given the abysmal reaction by many critics. However, these numbers are most definitely high enough to calm anyone’s fears about the sprawling project’s longevity. The Mummy has helped to push Universal over the $3 billion global market in 2017 with still six months to go in the year. What this equates to is, pardon my french but holy shit that’s a lot of money. But what does this mean for horror fans?

Clear skies – or darkened skies, if you prefer – ahead!

Universal owes much of their success thus far to The Fate of the Furious, but the studio has also seen significant gains from both Split and Get Out earlier in the year. If you like the way that Universal does horror, you’re in luck. If you’re not a fan, then I have some bad news for you: given the enormous amount of money that Universal has been raking in, the studio will undoubtedly push forward into the horror market.

Box office numbers are great and all, but what does this mean for the rest of horror cinema? An educated guess would say that more studios will begin to take riskier gambles with genre films. Despite the cancellation of Friday the 13th, the market for horror movies remains stronger than ever. No, Universal does not own the rights to Mr. Voorhees, but if they did, you could be sure that we’d still be getting another film set in Camp Crystal Lake. Could this make Paramount reconsider down the line? Possibly.

So the critics didn’t like The Mummy – fine. Many fans have taken kindly to the film, with iHorror’s own Ryan T. Cusick describing the movie as “A strong start to the (Universal) monster franchise.” You can read the rest of his review here.

If you’ve seen the film, let us know what you think of it. If you haven’t seen it yet, get on it! You don’t want to be left out, do you?

Universal

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

14 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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News

Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

15 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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News

BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

15 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.