Over the last several weeks, we’ve been reporting on older movies making their way back to theaters. These movies, which include the live-action Spider-Man flicks and the nine Star Wars episodes, are being put back on the silver screen to commemorate a specific milestone—like Phantom Menace hitting 25—or seemingly just because everyone else made it look so fun.
To that end, Universal’s putting the 1999 Mummy film back in theaters for its 25th birthday, and 20th Century Studios is doing the same with Alien for its 45th. Both are dropping on April 26 ahead of their respective anniversaries in May, but in the case of Alien, it takes on some extra weight since the franchise will return with a new installment in Alien: Romulus on August 16. As the spring and summer movie season gets closer into view, it may be that other films get a similar re-release treatment—Movies turning 10+ years old is a big deal, and if the first wave of movies get a sizable turnout, you can imagine other movies with similar milestones (like the original Guardians of the Galaxy) get re-releases of their own.
The Mummy first released on May 7, 1999, directed by Stephen Sommers and starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Beyond being a remake of the 1932 Universal movie by Karl Freund, its claim to fame was helping to pave the way for the summer blockbuster as we know it: an effects filled action-comedy starring hot young actors (emphasis on hot, looking at the leads) going through one set piece after another. Despite a mixed reception, it made $416.4 million and ended up spawning multiple sequels: 2001’s The Mummy Returns (which marked Dwayne Johnson’s acting debut), 2007’s Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and the Scorpion King sub-series that came after Returns. There was also the 2017 reboot, which…well, it happened.
As for Alien, it came out in Seattle on May 25, 1979 ahead of a wider release on June 22. Directed by Ridley Scott, it also got a mixed critical reception, but it hit big at the box office with $184.7 million, and ended up winning an Oscar for Best VFX. In the decades since its release, it became reappraised as one of the most influential sci-fi horror films of time. Fox has kept the franchise consistently going with prequels (like Prometheus), sequels (Aliens), comics, video games, and crossovers with the Predator. The Alien series has never not been around, and now that it’s owned by Disney, that’ll be even more true between Romulus, Noah Hawley’s TV series, and who knows what else.
Both Alien and The Mummy hit theaters for a full week on April 26, and tickets are available now.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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