box office of truth

Why Wonder Woman Will Bury The Mummy Alive

The box office belongs to Gal Gadot.  Ever since Wonder Woman hit theaters June 2, it’s been the top film in the nation, raking in about $103.3 million domestically in its first weekend alone.  It’s only made an Amazonian ascent since then, pulling in a heroic $35 million over the next few weekdays and cementing Diana Prince’s long-awaited big-screen debut as a certified blockbuster.  The winning won’t stop as the film heads into its second weekend, where it’s projected to crush everything in its path—including Tom Cruise’s latest hit vehicle, The Mummy. 

Wonder Woman is slated to earn another $50 million this weekend, per tracking from The Hollywood Reporter, handily holding on to its No.  1 spot in the domestic rankings.  It doesn’t have much strong competition, either.  Though The Mummy is likely to be a worldwide hit and a draw for international audiences, the domestic numbers are looking weaker by the minute.  The movie, which kicks off Universal’s new over-arching monster universe franchise, was initially projected to open at $40 million stateside, but expectations were knocked down to $35 million, then knocked down again to $33 million, T.H.R. reports.  The real success for the pricey, bandaged-up film will happen overseas, as the studio hopes global audiences take to the reboot.  Tom Cruise is a universal language, after all. 

The Mummy was Wonder Woman’s only real competition this weekend.  Other projects up against Diana Prince’s mighty sword include the creepy A24 horror flick It Comes at Night and the Kate Mara Marine drama (say that five times fast) Megan Leavey.  Yeah—they’re no match for the most iconic female superhero of all time. 

Wonder Woman’s success, both critically and at the box office, has also essentially guaranteed that a sequel will soon be upon us.  It’s great news for fans and for Patty Jenkins—on the surface, at least.  The massive first-weekend gross has made her the female director with the highest-grossing domestic opening ever.  As such, it’s expected that she’ll be on board to helm the film’s inevitable sequel, but that’s still up in the air right now.  The director was only signed to Warner Bros. to make one film, and has not yet signed a new deal for a sequel, per T.H.R. The film wasn’t projected to have such an insanely huge opening, making nearly twice the initial tracking figure of $65 million, a fact that might have caught Warner Bros. off guard. “ Some insiders say it was only in recent weeks that Wonder Woman buzz began to grow on the Warners lot in Burbank, so the studio wanted to wait for the opening weekend results before initiating any negotiations,” T.H.R. notes, adding that negotiations will reportedly start “soon” for Jenkins.  Considering the film’s explosive box-office results, Warner Bros. had better be ready to come to the table with a substantially higher offer.  In the wise words of DJ Khaled, Patty Jenkins’s price just went up. 

Gal Gadot

Ever since she landed the role of Wonder Woman, it’s been hard to remember a time when Gal Gadot wasn’t practically a household name.  Over the years, the actress shored up her resume with roles in the Fast and Furious franchise and other big budget action movies, like Knight and Day.  Now the summer of Gal is finally upon us, as Wonder Woman is set to hit theaters on June 2.  The day—and more women-only screenings (cry about it, misogynists!)—can’t come soon enough. 

Photo: Clay Enos/TM & DC Comics. 

Tom Holland

Speaking of superhero breakouts: The time is nearly upon us to usher in a new era of Spider-Man.  After cutting his teeth in the theater and on supporting roles in dramatic indies, British star Tom Holland landed the role of a lifetime as Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.  The film really does look like a John Hughes version of a superhero movie, injecting a much-needed dose of teen insouciance to the franchise.  Spidey senses aside, Holland has already won the summer thanks to his unbelievable rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which is the best thing to come out of that show, period. 

Photo: Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Jillian Bell

If you keep up with the comedy world, you’ve probably long been familiar with Jillian Bell.  For years, the actress has been turning in fun supporting performances in shows like Workaholics and movies like Office Christmas Party and 22 Jump Street.  But this summer marks her biggest star turn yet, playing a rowdy bachelorette party hostess who accidentally kills a stripper in Rough Night.  The actress gets to chew the scenery alongside Scarlett Johansson, who plays the bride to be in the film, as well as comedic stars Kate McKinnon and Ilana Glazer, plus Zoe Kravitz, who’s having a big year herself thanks to the perfection that is Big Little Lies. 

Photo: Courtesy of Macall Polley/Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Sofia Boutella

The French-Algerian actress has slowly, but surely made her way up the Hollywood chain and this summer, all her work will begin to truly manifest.  The actress has two major releases coming out this June and July: the revamped version of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise—in which Boutella will be playing the titular Mummy, the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet—and fresh action vehicle Atomic Blonde.  They’re big, juicy, villainous roles that put Boutella front and center alongside her A-list co-stars.  Prepare to start seeing her everywhere. 

Photo: Courtesy of Universal Pictures. 

Riley Keough

Riley Keough has steadily been building up a cool, eccentric list of films, from the high-octane Mad Max: Fury Road, to the experimental American Honey.  This summer, she’s adding two more stellar projects to her list: Trey Edward Shults’s It Comes at Night, a spectacularly creepy horror story, and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, a bonkers looking heist thriller that’s like Ocean’s 11, but with country accents and Nascar. 

Elle Fanning

V.F.’s Hollywood Issue tells no lies—Elle Fanning is having so much more than a moment.  This summer, the young star will reveal one of her most high profile roles yet in Sofia Coppola’s Southern gothic tale The Beguiled.  Adding more hype to the project: Coppola just won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival, making her only the second woman in history to be given the honor.  Expect a few more eyeballs to turn their attention to the film once it hits theaters on June 23. 

Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features. 

Kumail Nanjiani

After breaking out on the hit HBO series Silicon Valley (now airing its fourth season), longtime comedian Kumail Nanjiani is ready to get a bit more personal this summer.  On June 23, audiences can finally watch The Big Sick, the romantic comedy Nanjiani stars in and co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon.  The film is based on the couple’s actual love life and the hurdles they had to overcome to be together.  It’s both hilarious and heartwarming, and made a big splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most buzzworthy romantic releases of the summer. 

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios. 

Gal Gadot

Ever since she landed the role of Wonder Woman, it’s been hard to remember a time when Gal Gadot wasn’t practically a household name.  Over the years, the actress shored up her resume with roles in the Fast and Furious franchise and other big budget action movies, like Knight and Day.  Now the summer of Gal is finally upon us, as Wonder Woman is set to hit theaters on June 2.  The day—and more women-only screenings (cry about it, misogynists!)—can’t come soon enough. 

Clay Enos/TM & DC Comics. 

Tom Holland

Speaking of superhero breakouts: The time is nearly upon us to usher in a new era of Spider-Man.  After cutting his teeth in the theater and on supporting roles in dramatic indies, British star Tom Holland landed the role of a lifetime as Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.  The film really does look like a John Hughes version of a superhero movie, injecting a much-needed dose of teen insouciance to the franchise.  Spidey senses aside, Holland has already won the summer thanks to his unbelievable rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which is the best thing to come out of that show, period. 

Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Jillian Bell

If you keep up with the comedy world, you’ve probably long been familiar with Jillian Bell.  For years, the actress has been turning in fun supporting performances in shows like Workaholics and movies like Office Christmas Party and 22 Jump Street.  But this summer marks her biggest star turn yet, playing a rowdy bachelorette party hostess who accidentally kills a stripper in Rough Night.  The actress gets to chew the scenery alongside Scarlett Johansson, who plays the bride to be in the film, as well as comedic stars Kate McKinnon and Ilana Glazer, plus Zoe Kravitz, who’s having a big year herself thanks to the perfection that is Big Little Lies. 

Courtesy of Macall Polley/Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Sofia Boutella

The French-Algerian actress has slowly, but surely made her way up the Hollywood chain and this summer, all her work will begin to truly manifest.  The actress has two major releases coming out this June and July: the revamped version of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise—in which Boutella will be playing the titular Mummy, the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet—and fresh action vehicle Atomic Blonde.  They’re big, juicy, villainous roles that put Boutella front and center alongside her A-list co-stars.  Prepare to start seeing her everywhere. 

Courtesy of Universal Pictures. 

Lakeith Stanfield

Everything is coming up Lakeith.  The actor has spent the last few months becoming That Guy You See Everywhere, starring in zeitgeist-y fare like Atlanta and Get Out.  Now he’s continuing to forge ahead, co-starring in Brad Pitt’s Netflix war movie War Machine, which is already available on Netflix, while also turning in performances in indie fare like Izzy Gets the Fck Across Town*.  The latter project stars current Peak TV queen Carrie Coon, who will one day be a summer film queen. 

Courtesy of Francois Duhamel/Netflix. 

Riley Keough

Riley Keough has steadily been building up a cool, eccentric list of films, from the high-octane Mad Max: Fury Road, to the experimental American Honey.  This summer, she’s adding two more stellar projects to her list: Trey Edward Shults’s It Comes at Night, a spectacularly creepy horror story, and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, a bonkers looking heist thriller that’s like Ocean’s 11, but with country accents and Nascar. 

Courtesy of Michael Tacket/Fingerprint Releasing/Bleecker Street. 

Elle Fanning

V.F.’s Hollywood Issue tells no lies—Elle Fanning is having so much more than a moment.  This summer, the young star will reveal one of her most high profile roles yet in Sofia Coppola’s Southern gothic tale The Beguiled.  Adding more hype to the project: Coppola just won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival, making her only the second woman in history to be given the honor.  Expect a few more eyeballs to turn their attention to the film once it hits theaters on June 23. 

Courtesy of Focus Features. 

Kumail Nanjiani

After breaking out on the hit HBO series Silicon Valley (now airing its fourth season), longtime comedian Kumail Nanjiani is ready to get a bit more personal this summer.  On June 23, audiences can finally watch The Big Sick, the romantic comedy Nanjiani stars in and co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon.  The film is based on the couple’s actual love life and the hurdles they had to overcome to be together.  It’s both hilarious and heartwarming, and made a big splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most buzzworthy romantic releases of the summer.