Does Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Exist in the Evil Dead Universe?

Credit:- Warner Bros. Pictures

After watching Lee Cronin’s The Mummy in theaters, audiences might have wondered about its connections to the Evil Dead universe. Lee Cronin directed Evil Dead Rise, the fifth installment in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series. Moreover, the latest movie had a tone very similar to this franchise than to the original Mummy movies, starring Brendan Fraser.

Cronin made Fraser’s absence clear during the movie’s promotions, suggesting that his movie had no apparent links with the earlier movies. Moreover, the gory violence and brutality align more with Raimi’s world. Cronin confirmed as much that a little bit of crossover has happened between the two movies.

Lee Cronin Confirms Crossover Between The Mummy and Evil Dead

Lee Cronin confirmed the fact that The Mummy and Evil Dead share a common universe. During an interview with Collider, Cronin was asked about the comparisons made between his new movie and his previous one. He was asked whether the Deadites (from Evil Dead) and the Necronomicon (from The Mummy) could exist in the same reality.

Cronin shared that he had thought about it. He addressed the fact that both universes belonged to someone else and he stepped in as “the steward of it for a moment.” He further shared that he brought “my own style, my own taste, and some of my own lore to that world.” Since he gave his own unique spin to both these universes, he shared that there was “always going to be a bit of crossover.”

He dropped a hint about one potential crossover, sharing, “So if you pay attention to the name of the archeology professor in the movie, it could be a distant relative of some key characters in Evil Dead Rise.”

In the new movie, Mark Mitchinson appeared as Professor Bixler, an archaeology scholar. He shares the same last name with Bethany Bixler, aka Beth, in Evil Dead Rise. It is this small connection that Cronin was probably alluding to.

Interestingly, Mitchinson also played a role in Cronin’s earlier movie as Mr. Fonda. Similarly, Lily Sullivan, who played Beth in the earlier movie, appeared as Maud’s teacher, Miss Mills, in The Mummy. We will worry about this casting dilemma later.

A canonical link between the two movies, even as small as a last name, is enough for the crossover claim as per Hollywood franchise logic. Fans will have to wait and see what this means for the future of these universes, especially with two Evil Dead movies coming out in the next couple of years. It should be noted that Cronin isn’t involved in either of these two movies as far as we know!

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Opens to Split Response

Laia Costa and Jack Reynor in Lee Cronin’s The Mummy | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy came out as a promising summer horror, but not everyone is a fan of the movie. Released last weekend, the film opened to mixed reviews from critics, earning a rotten 47% score from 134 reviews on RT (as of April 20, 2026). However, the popcornmeter score is at 76%, suggesting that audiences may have found it engaging enough.

The box office numbers don’t paint a picture of the movie-going places. The movie opened at the box office in third place, collecting $13.5 million domestically (via THR). Unfortunately, even with the involvement of prestige horror names like James Wan and Jason Blum behind the scenes, the movie couldn’t beat the box office run of Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary.

It has earned 17.5 million from the overseas market, bringing the total opening collection to $34 million as of the time of writing this. It’s still impressive with a modest net budget of $22 million. The film deals with the horrors that journalist Charlie Cannon and his family face after their eldest child returns eight years after she went missing. She is found mummified, wrapped in a parchment with ancient inscriptions. When she moves back home, unsettling things begin to happen in the Cannon home.

What do you think of the new movie and its connection to the Evil Dead universe? Let us know in the comments below!

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is currently running in theaters near you. Evil Dead Rise is available for streaming on HBO Max.