‘The Mummy’ Scares Up $2.7 Million at Thursday Box Office

Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” earned $2.7 million at the Thursday previews, on its way to a $35 million to $40 million opening weekend.

Along with Cruise, “The Mummy” stars Sofia Boutella as Princess Ahmanet, the film’s titular villain. The film also stars Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, the head of the mysterious organization Prodigium. This group will be the link connecting the “Dark Universe” films, as its mission is to track and defeat evil forces that seek to destroy humanity.

“The Mummy” is directed by Alex Kurtzman, who co-produced with Sean Daniel, Sarah Bradshaw, and “Fast & Furious” writer Chris Morgan. It is written by David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman.

Also Read: 'The Mummy': Did You Catch the Reference to the 1999 Brendan Fraser Version?

The first film in a planned Dark Universe franchise hasn’t received the best reviews so far — on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 20 percent. Its budget is being reported anywhere between $125 million and $160 million.

“Wonder Woman” is expected to lead the weekend after its stellar opening last weekend of $103.3 million. On Thursday, it earned $9.2 million, bringing its cumulative up to $147.9 million. The movie starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, directed by Patty Jenkins, could earn up to $50 million this weekend.

Two other movies opening wide this weekend include A24’s horror film “It Comes at Night” and the drama “Megan Leavey. The former stars Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough and Carmen Ejogo and is expected to open in the $6 million to $7 million range. It cost $5 million to produce and is about a man protecting his family from an unnatural threat but is tested when another desperate family arrives seeking refuge. The film has solid reviews and holds a score of 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Megan Leavey” stars Kate Mara as a young Marine fighting in Iraq. The movie centers on her relationship with her combat dog, that saved many lives during the war. The film, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, has also received solid reviews — it’s at 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

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