Even thoughTom Cruise’sTop GunandMission: Impossiblesequels were box office hits, the charismatic star’s presence wasn’t enough to save one failed franchise. Tom Cruise is an iconic actor whose career has seen him star in a wide variety of projects. From acclaimed dramas likeMagnoliato fun blockbusters likeEdge of Tomorrow, Cruise has proven his versatility again and again over the decades. A look back on the star’s career shows that he has proven something else throughout his years as a multiplex mainstay. Namely, Cruise has repeatedly displayed his enduring popularity with audiences across the world.
From1986’sTop Gunto 2022’sTop Gun: Maverick, Cruise’s blockbuster career has been primarily defined by a slew of successes. TheMission: Impossiblefranchise and theJack Reachermovies prove his bonafides as an action star, whileOblivion,Edge of Tomorrow,Minority Report, andWar of the WorldsdisplayedTom Cruise’s success in the sci-fi genre.The Last Samurai’s success showed that Cruise could pull off a historical drama, whileCollateralallowed the actor to show his range in a relatively rare villainous role. All these successes only made one 2017 flop even more inexplicable.
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Tom Cruise’s Withstanding Box Office Power Makes The Dark Universe’s Cancelation Even More Curious
Mission: Impossible and Top Gun’s Franchise Success Prove The Dark Universe Was An Anomaly
2017’sThe Mummywas a critical disaster and a relative financial failurethat ended the highly hyped“Dark Universe” before the franchise could even begin in earnest.The Mummywas a contemporary reboot of the Universal franchise that strayed far from the light, fun one of the Brendan Fraser movies of the ‘90s. Cruise’s take onThe Mummywas darker and edgier and was supposed to kick-start a series of movies that re-envisioned the Universal Monsters in modern settings. Although Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyl/ Mr. Hyde appeared in a cameo,The Mummy’s disappointing reception killed any follow-up plans.
Cruise remains a rare star who can sell a franchise alone.
Since then,Tom Cruise’s historic box office success withTop Gun: Maverickand the solid performance of 2023’sMission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Onehave made it harder than ever to work out how the Dark Universe stumbled. Admittedly,Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Onemade a somewhat underwhelming $567 million on a budget of $291 million. However, this was due in part to the stiff competition provided by “Barbenheimer.” Thanks toTop Gun: Maverick, Cruise remains a rare star who can sell a franchise alone. Thus, it is striking to realize that even he could not save the Dark Universe.
The Mummy Reboot Did Okay At The Box Office (Likely Due To Tom Cruise)
The Dark Universe’s Flagship Project Wasn’t A Complete Financial Catastrophe
While the 2017 movie’s box office performance was bad enough to kill the Dark Universe,The Mummywas not a complete financial catastrophe. PerBoxOfficeMojo,The Mummyearned just under $410 million globally, which is undeniably impressive against a budget of $125 million. However, the movie’s domestic and global split tells a more complicated story, as a whopping $329 million of that total comes from international markets.The Mummyonly made $80 million domestically. Considering the same year’s $50 million Cruise movieAmerican Madeearned $83 million domestically, it is fair to say the actor’s brand was responsible for most of those ticket sales.
The Mummyproved that Cruise’s appeal has its limits.
In contrast,Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Oneearned $172 million domestically and another $395 million globally for a total of $567 million. WhileMission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One’s box office struggleswere substantial, its domestic performance proves that Cruise remains a box office draw.Top Gun: Maverick’s incredible success further affirmed this nationally and internationally, whereasThe Mummyproved that Cruise’s appeal has its limits. One major issue may have been the movie’s genre, as Cruise isn’t typically associated with horror movies. His only earlier horror,Interview With A Vampire, was a romantic historical drama, unlikeThe Mummy.
2018’sMission: Impossible — Falloutearned over $790 million only one year afterThe Mummy’s disappointing $410 million payday.
Why The Dark Universe Was Canceled After Just One Movie
The Dark Universe’s Messy Planning Made Future Movies Risky
While the Cruise vehicle wasn’t a big hit by any means,The Mummy’s 2017 failure was not the only factor in the Dark Universe’s failure. In an interview withScreenRant,Limitlessdirector Neil Burger noted that the franchise was being pulled in various directions by various producers and executives with no cohesive vision. Burger, who was once lined up to direct aBride of Frankensteinreimagining, divulged that there were disagreements over the franchise’s period setting and which characters to utilize.
It wasn’t clear whether all the Dark Universe movies would be set in the modern day or if some would be period pieces.
Some creatives wanted to use all the classic Universal Monsters, while other producers wanted a select few. It wasn’t clear whether all the Dark Universe movies would be set in the modern day or if some would be period pieces, and it was this type of internal division that truly doomed the series. IfThe Mummyhad been a runaway success, these problems might have ironed themselves out in good time. However, theTom Cruisemovie’s failure killed the Dark Universe because the series never had the clear, consistent vision ofTop Gun,Mission: Impossible, or the actor’s other successful franchises.
