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Tom Cruise’s 2017 reboot ofThe Mummyfranchise may be remembered as a critical and commercial misstep, but the movie also became an internet sensation due to an unexpected behind-the-scenes blunder. A version of the movie’s trailer was shared with half the music and sound effects missing ahead of its release.
Stripped of its cinematic polish, the trailer was unintentionally awkward and hilarious and soon became a topic of conversation. It drew unwanted attention to the film, turning the unintentional mistake into a brief moment of accidental genius in viral marketing.
Tom Cruise’sThe Mummytrailer blunder turned into a viral sensation
Tom Cruise took the lead inAlex Kurtzman’s2017 reboot of the popularThe Mummyfranchise. However, before its release, the studio unexpectedly released abotched trailerof the movie, missing key sound and music effects.
What began with an eerie setting and thrillingtone soon devolved into an awkward spectacle, featuring raw audio of grunts and screams. Without the dramatic sound effects of roaring plane engines, explosions, or rushing air, the trailer turned unintentionally comedic.
Moments that should have been intense, such as a plane crashing, a flock of birds attacking, and pilots being killed, felt oddly hollow, punctuated only by occasional shrieks and yelps fromTom Cruiseand his co-starAnnabelle Wallis.
The trailer,reportedlyuploaded by IMAX, remained online long enough for the internet to notice and share widely before it was eventually taken down.
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However, it lived on in viral fame, sparking a wave of reactions ranging from laughter to thoughtful critique. Some found the raw audio unintentionally hilarious, while others argued that it unintentionally highlighted the movie’s atmospheric, action-horror vibe.
The Mummybotched trailer went viral due to its mishap
Though IMAX and the studio were swift in making sure to take down the flawed trailer ofThe Mummy,it has since become a textbook example of how nothing ever truly disappears once it hits the internet.
The trailer’s glaring audio mishap quickly went viral, turning it into an online sensation as people shared their reactions.“Looks like an assistant editor just got fired…”quipped one fan inresponse to the trailer’s comment section.
While some argued the lack of sound effectsenhanced the eerie, horror-like atmosphere, others found it unintentionally hilarious.“It started off like some obscure indie horror, then completely fell apart into the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while,”commented another viewer.
i fixed that mummy trailer they uploaded without music (track via@sethboyer)pic.twitter.com/dPJnEvPp8K
i have been trying to figure out what this sound effect is supposed to be for like ten minutespic.twitter.com/xyXzpspk7n
Anyway, here’s The Mummy trailer with Jingle Bell Rock as the soundtrack.pic.twitter.com/7CnBcturCS
Super Mummy Trailer Audio 64pic.twitter.com/AQ1nsD3HyH
The Mummy trailer audio makes any scene better. (thx@Babylonian@cabel@austin_walker)pic.twitter.com/mhRZAdeM6Y
The viral moment inspired a wave of memes and video edits, with fans inserting Tom Cruise’s grunts into other clips or reimagining the trailer with uncanny musical scores. Although Universal repeatedly attempted to take down the flawed trailer, plenty of related material remains online today.
The reboot, which was planned to be the first slated release in Universal’s plan to reboot popular monster flicks, ended up being abox office bomb, due to high production and marketing costs.
Its failure also led to thecancellationof the studio’s plan to further develop the shared cinematic universe. However, the franchise is set to be resurrected once again. Blumhouse and Atomic Monster haverecently announced a new reboot ofThe Mummy, helmed byEvil Dead Risedirector Lee Cronin.
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“This will be unlike any ‘Mummy’ movie you ever laid eyeballs on before,”Cronin, who is set to write and direct the new reboot, said in a statement, as perVariety. The film is slated for July 20, 2025 release by New Line Cinema.
The Mummy(2017) is available to watch on Netflix.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
