Fans of the Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz-led The Mummy franchise were delighted when it was recently announced that a fourth installment, starring the two Oscar winners, is set to arrive in theaters on May 19, 2028. The beloved 1999 action-adventure hit was followed by two sequels, the third of which was released in 2008.
Later, Universal Pictures rebooted the franchise in 2017 with a separate Tom Cruise-led film as part of its ambitious Dark Universe initiative. Although each of these four Mummy films surpassed the $400 million mark at the global box office, the important question is, which installment delivered the strongest return relative to its production budget? Let’s break down the numbers.
Mummy Films (1999-2017) – Budgets & Global Earnings
Here are the estimated production budgets and worldwide earnings of the four Mummy films released between 1999 and 2017, based on Box Office Mojo data:
- The Mummy (1999): Budget: $80 million | Worldwide Earnings: $417.6 million
- The Mummy Returns (2001): Budget: $98 million | Worldwide Earnings: $443.3 million
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008): Budget: $145 million | Worldwide Earnings: $403.4 million
- The Mummy (2017): Budget: $125 million | Worldwide Earnings: $409.2 million
Earnings-to-Budget Performance
Now, let’s calculate which one of the above Mummy films delivered the best return over its production budget.
- The Mummy (1999): 5.22x
- The Mummy Returns (2001): 4.52x
- The Mummy (2017): 3.27x
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008): 2.78x
Which Mummy Film Delivered The Best Return On Budget?
From a return-on-budget perspective based on the above calculations, the classic 1999 film is the clear winner, delivering an impressive 5.22x return on its $80 million budget, making it the strongest performer out of the four films.
The 2001 sequel delivered a solid 4.52x return, though its higher production budget reduced the overall box-office-to-budget efficiency. The 2017 reboot managed to deliver a 3.27x return, while Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) ranked last at 2.78x due to its significantly higher budget. Overall, the 1999 classic remains the most financially efficient entry in terms of earnings-to-budget among the four films analyzed.
What Is The Mummy (1999) All About?
Directed by Stephen Sommers, the action-adventure comedy follows a courageous treasure hunter, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), who joins forces with librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her brother Jonathan (John Hannah) to travel to Hamunaptra. Their mission goes horribly wrong when a reading from the Book of the Dead accidentally awakens the cursed high priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo).
The Mummy (1999) – Trailer
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