When will "The Mummy" be released: release date and review of the new horror

The Mummy, a new version of the classic horror film directed by Lee Cronin, will be released worldwide on April 17, 2026. This is not a continuation of any of the previous film adaptations: the story begins with a clean slate and tells about a family who discovered that the child who disappeared eight years ago is no longer the one they lost. Who is behind the new film and why the first critics call it one of the scariest films of the year — in the Izvestia article.

Ninety years under bandages: the story of the "Mummy" in the cinema

The Mummy is one of the oldest monsters in the history of cinema. The first film with this name was released in 1932 at Universal Studios: actor Boris Karloff played the ancient Egyptian priest Imhotep, who rose from the dead. The painting became part of Universal's so-called "Classic Monster Universe," along with "Dracula," "Frankenstein," and "The Invisible Man."

Over the next decades, the studio released sequels and spin-offs with different actors, until a radically reimagined relaunch was released in 1999. Director Stephen Sommers turned "The Mummy" from a horror movie into a blockbuster adventure with humor and a romantic line: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz played a pair of treasure hunters who confront the revived curse of the pharaohs. The film grossed over $400 million and spawned two sequels and a spin-off about Scorpion King.

An attempt to relaunch the franchise in 2017 turned into a resounding failure. Actor Tom Cruise starred in the film of the same name, which was supposed to be the first link in Universal's so—called "Dark Universe" - the studio's response to the success of Marvel comics. Critics met the picture with hostility, the audience ignored it, and the ambitious project was curtailed as soon as it began. As noted by Rotten Tomatoes, it was after this failure that "The Mummy" found itself in a creative vacuum for several years.

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The Man Who Raised the Dead: Who is Lee Cronin

Lee Cronin's name became known to the general public in 2023, when his film Rise of the Sinister Dead, the sequel to Sam Raimi's cult horror series, was released. Cronin moved the action from a country house to an apartment building in Los Angeles and filled the picture with a ruthless body horror and claustrophobic atmosphere. The film grossed $147 million worldwide with a budget of about $15 million, a blockbuster—level commercial horror.

The success of Rise of the Sinister Dead opened the doors of major studios to Cronin. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it was this job that gave him the opportunity to take on the next major project in the genre. In December 2024, it became known that New Line Cinema had commissioned him to rethink The Mummy.

"It's not going to be like any Mummy movie you've ever seen. I'm digging deep into the ground to bring up something very ancient and very scary," the director said.

For the new film, Cronin transferred the team he worked with on Rise of the Sinister Dead: cinematographer David Garbett, composer Stephen McKeon and editor Brian Shaw. All three also worked on the series "Ash vs the Sinister Dead" — that is, the team, in fact, is one of the most well-connected teams in modern genre cinema.

There are two names behind the production of "The Mummy" that define the look of modern horror. James Wan, the creator of "Saw", "Astral" and "Enchantment", the founder of Atomic Monster Studio, produced the film. Jason Blum, whose Blumhouse Productions is behind "Paranormal," "Away," and "Halloween" (2018), joined the project from the same position.

The plot of the new movie

The official synopsis published by Rotten Tomatoes is intentionally concise: the little daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the shattered family is shocked: the girl returns. But what was supposed to be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare — she begins to change into something terrifying.

Without details: the new "Mummy" is not an action—adventure film or a story about an expedition to Egypt. This is a chamber family horror about grief, loss and what happens when what is lost does not come back the way it is remembered. Cronin himself called Poltergeist in 1982 and Seven in 1995 his inspirations - two films in which horror lives inside the family, not outside.

The cast

Unlike the large-scale ensembles of the previous "Mummies", the new version has relied on privacy and acting accuracy. The main role of journalist Charlie Cannon is played by Irish actor Jack Raynor, known for "Solstice" by Ari Astaire and "Detroit" by Katherine Bigelow. His wife is played by Spanish actress Laia Costa. Natalie Grace plays the role of Katie's returned daughter — according to Koimoi, it is her work that the first viewers are already comparing to the performance of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. Mae Kalamavi, known for the TV series "Moon Knight", plays a detective named Dahlia Zak.

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First reactions

Cronin showed the film to journalists and critics at a private screening on April 9, 2026 at the American Legion Post 43 Cinema in Los Angeles. The embargo on professional reviews has not yet been lifted, but the first emotional reactions from viewers and critics have already appeared online.

Collider notes that early reactions call the painting one of the scariest adaptations of "The Mummy" in history. Another noteworthy detail provided by FandomWire is that, according to rumors, James Wan, a producer and one of the most famous horror directors in the world, got up and left the pre—premiere screening without watching it.

Connection to previous versions

The question that inevitably arises before any remake is: "Is this a continuation of that "that" movie?" In the case of the new "Mummy," the answer is unequivocally no. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Cronin's film has nothing to do with the Brendan Fraser trilogy, the failed Tom Cruise film, or the classic Universal films of the 1930s and 40s. This is an independent story that uses the image of the Mummy as an archetype, rather than as a ready-made plot.

What remains in it from the original source is the idea of something ancient, buried and dangerous that should not have returned. Cronin rebuilt everything else.

When and where to watch "The Mummy" by Lee Cronin

Lee Cronin's "The Mummy" will be released theatrically and IMAX on April 17, 2026 in the United States, and screenings began two days earlier in a number of international markets on April 15. The distribution is handled by Warner Bros. via New Line Cinema. According to Fandom Wire, after the theatrical release is completed — approximately in 45-90 days — the film will appear on HBO Max.

On March 24, Medialogia presented on its website a Russian series rating consisting of the 100 most popular projects of the past year. The South Korean thriller "The Squid Game" took the first place with 42,861 points, the second place was taken by the American science fiction series "Stranger Things" (26,572 points), and the third place was taken by the Russian detective "Sled" (20,361 points).

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