Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Struggles With Test Audiences

One of this year’s most talked-about horror reboots is hitting a rough patch ahead of its release. The Mummy, directed by Lee Cronin, is set to land in cinemas this April, but word is the production isn’t quite shaping up as the studio had hoped. There’s even been chatter about a possible title change, and now it seems the film is having a hard time keeping punters in their seats during early screenings.

FeatureFirst reports that test audiences haven’t exactly warmed to Cronin’s take, describing the screenings as having gone “extremely poorly.” There’s even a claim that James Wan, who’s producing and is well-known for his work on Saw, left one of the sessions “halfway through.” While it’s wise to take these reports with a pinch of salt, the outlet also shared a summary of the plot. The story centres on a journalist’s daughter who returns from the dead after eight years, bringing a supernatural nightmare down on her family.

Plot and Creative Direction

After the success of Evil Dead Rise, Cronin has turned his attention to one of horror’s most iconic tales, giving it a fresh and twisted spin. In this version, a young girl vanishes without a trace in the desert, leaving her family shattered. When she suddenly reappears eight years later, what should be a happy reunion quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Mummy is scheduled to open in cinemas on 17 April 2026.

The cast features Jack Reynor (Midsommar), Laia Costa (Victoria), Verónica Falcón (Imaginary), May Calamawy (Moon Knight), May Elghety (Battlefield 6), Natalie Grace (1923), Shylo Molina (Rust), Billie Roy (The Waterfront), and Hayat Kamille (Vikings: Valhalla). Cronin, who impressed Warner Bros. with his work on Evil Dead Rise, is at the helm, promising a bold new take on the classic monster.

Controversial Horror Elements

Alongside the lukewarm test screening reports, FeatureFirst has revealed that the film includes a “truly vile” horror sequence, said to outdo the gore and intensity of recent genre hits like Bring Her Back.

There’s one scene that features a “scorpion that crawls into somebody’s mouth and severs their vocal cords,” which then forces someone to “stick their fingers down that person’s throat and press on their cords allowing them to speak.”

With a two-hour runtime, it’s likely there’s plenty more where that came from.

It’s not clear if this particular scene is the main reason for the film’s chilly reception, but those hoping for Cronin to ramp up the nastiness will probably get their wish. Evil Dead Rise wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, and this new take on The Mummy sounds like it’s pushing things even further.

Test Screenings and Audience Reactions

Test screenings aren’t always the best measure of a film’s future success. Superman, for example, had mixed reactions in early showings, but that didn’t stop it from finding its audience once it hit the big screen. Whether The Mummy will follow suit remains to be seen, but for now, it’s clear the film is making waves for all sorts of reasons.