Tom Cruise was no match for Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman” wrapped up Cruise’s “The Mummy” at the weekend box office, pulling in an estimated $57.2 million in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. Universal’s “The Mummy” looked its age, selling a relatively feeble $32.2 million in tickets in its debut weekend.
That couldn’t compete with “Wonder Woman” in its second weekend. The Gal Gadot superhero film, directed by Patty Jenkins, has quickly earned $205 million domestically in two weeks.
The poor North American opening for “The Mummy,” which cost an estimated $125 million to produce, meant a weak start for Universal’s ballyhooed “Dark Universe.”
“The Mummy” is intended to launch a new, Marvel-style connected franchise that resurrects many of the famous monster characters – including Frankenstein, Dracula and The Invisible Man – from the studio’s vaults.
Universal could still point to strong ticket sales internationally, where “The Mummy” grossed $141.8 million in 63 territories, including $52.2 million in China. According to Universal, it’s the biggest worldwide opening for Cruise. His star power now shines brightest overseas, where audiences have been more forgiving of the actor’s baggage.
But critics slammed the film, directed by Alex Kurtzman; it has a dismal 17 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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