“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” lands in third place with a $13.5 million domestic opening — as two juggernauts continue their stranglehold on the North American box office.
Universal and Illumination’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie held firm at the top of the North American chart for a third consecutive weekend. The tentpole pulled an estimated $35 million domestically, pushing past the $350 million mark stateside. An additional $83.2 million from overseas markets brought its global running total to an impressive $747.5 million.
The Mario franchise has now crossed $2 billion worldwide, landing at No. 10 on the all-time list of highest-grossing animated franchises. Chris Meledandri’s Illumination now owns three major animated franchises — Mario, Ice Age, and Gru — cementing its status as the dominant force in Hollywood animation.
Notably, Super Mario Galaxy Movie became the first Hollywood release to open in Israel since the ceasefire was declared, where it posted decent numbers, according to Universal insiders.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary continues its remarkable theatrical run. The sleeper hit dropped just 15 percent in its fifth weekend, earning an estimated $20.4 million to bring its domestic cume to $285 million and its global total to a staggering $573.1 million. The film returned to IMAX and premium large format screens this weekend, days after star-producer Ryan Gosling and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller appeared at CinemaCon to personally thank theater owners and announce that Amazon MGM is extending the film’s exclusive theatrical window.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy debuted in third place with an estimated $13.5 million domestically. The film added $17.5 million from overseas markets for a worldwide opening of $34 million — a cautious but viable start against a lean $22 million net budget.
Produced by Jason Blum, James Wan, and John Kevillle, the film stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón. The story follows a family shattered by the disappearance of their daughter in Cairo eight years earlier — until Egyptian officials call to reveal she has been found, transformed into a living mummy-like creature after spending eight years inside a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus.
Critics remain divided, landing the film at a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, responded far more warmly — a divide that played out visibly on social media ahead of opening weekend. The film earned a C+ CinemaScore, which is not unusual for the horror genre. Competition from Hail Mary on IMAX screens also factored into the opening numbers.
Cronin, who revived the Evil Dead franchise with Evil Dead Rise ($147 million worldwide in 2023), turned down a sequel to that film in order to direct The Mummy — a creative gamble that Hollywood will be watching closely as the film’s legs develop.
On the specialty side, A24’s Mother Mary — an Anne Hathaway-led music industry drama directed by David Lowery — opened in just five locations and earned $168,363, delivering a strong per-location average of $33,613. The film features original songs written by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA Twigs, with Michaela Coel co-starring as Hathaway’s estranged best friend. It expands into additional cinemas next weekend.
Morgan Neville’s Lorne Michaels biopic Lorne, distributed by Focus Features, grossed $270,000 from approximately 450 cinemas.
The box office landscape shifts dramatically in the weeks ahead. Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael opens next weekend, followed a week later by The Devil Wears Prada 2 — which marks the unofficial kickoff of the summer box office season.
Updated: April 19, 7:45 a.m. (PT) with revised figures.
Source: THR
