The Mummy. Photo: Universal Pictures

Studio chiefs prefer to blame the dastardly methods of Rotten Tomatoes, but evidence continues to mount that audiences just aren’t interested in seeing aggressively mediocre blockbuster spectacle. We’ve already seen King Arthur, Baywatch, and the latest Pirates bomb with moviegoers in the early weeks of the new summer season, and it appears that this past weekend has introduced its newest flop. Tom Cruise’s The Mummy reboot had been trending downward in box-office projections all week, and yet it underperformed even by those adjusted standards, pulling in an estimated $30.5 million domestically, according to Deadline. It’s the lowest opening total in the history of Universal’s Mummy series, and there’s debate as to whether it will break even given the hefty price tag. (Deadline has it scored at well over $300 million.) Among other issues here, executives should heed this warning: Maybe don’t launch an entire cinematic universe with a mediocre reboot that’s repelling audiences more than luring them.