The Mummy debuted in 1932 and became an iconic member of the Universal Monsters alongside characters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster, with the original film earning multiple reboots, including last year’s The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. A reported three original posters still exist for the film, with one expected to set a record at a Sotheby’s auction, which is expected to take in as much as $1.5 million.
In addition to the film itself being iconic, the original poster is rare due to the fact that movie studios didn’t make posters commercially available, used only to promote the films at theaters. Additionally, the bright colors used by Karoly Grosz marked a departure from previous styles of theatrical posters, which were far more minimalistic.
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“Universal’s series that included Dracula, Frankenstein, and a werewolf were great diversions,” Dennis Perry, associate professor at BYU shared with Gizmodo. “The Mummy, made on the heels of the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922, helped further helped distract Americans who needed creative distraction.”
Given the limited nature of The Mummy posters, they’re no stranger to setting records. The poster set a record in 1997 when it sold for $453,500, a record which lasted until 2014 when a poster for Tod Browning’s London After Midnight sold for $478,000. Another Browning film, Dracula, holds the current record with a price tag of $525,800.
The opening bid for this poster was at $950,000, which hasn’t yet been met, though bidding closes on October 31st.
While fans might still have a passionate interest in the original Universal film, the same can’t be said of recent attempts to revive the iconic Universal Monsters.
Last year’s The Mummy was meant to kick off Universal’s Dark Universe of connected reboots of their most popular horror films, though the film’s somewhat disappointing reception might have stalled those plans. The film ultimately earned more than $400 million worldwide, but only $80 million of that came from its domestic relase, demonstrating disinterest in such a film. The low domestic totals and poor critical reception, with Rotten Tomatoes calculating only 15 percent positive reviews, led to the film being one of last year’s more underwhelming releases.
Making the Dark Universe’s launch even more frustrating was that the studio announced a number of additional films it would be making, yet nothing has headed into production since The Mummy landed with a thud. The next film was slated to be Bride of Frankenstein, which was intended to begin production earlier this year, only for the studio to announce it was delaying the film indefinitely.
Stay tuned for details on the future of the Dark Universe.
Do you think this poster deserves to set the record? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
[H/T Gizmodo]
