The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:03:31 PM Wikipedia source
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action adventure fantasy film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The film is set in China rather than Egypt and focuses on the Terracotta Army's origins. It is the third installment in Stephen Sommers' The Mummy film series. It stars Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello (replacing Rachel Weisz, who played Evelyn in the first two films), John Hannah, Luke Ford, Anthony Wong, and Michelle Yeoh. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor premiered in Moscow on July 24, 2008, and was released in the United States on August 1. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $405 million against a production budget of $145 million, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the trilogy.
Infobox
Directed by
Rob Cohen
Written by
Alfred Gough Miles Millar
Based on
Characters by Stephen Sommers Lloyd Fonvielle Kevin Jarre
Produced by
Stephen Sommers Sean Daniel Bob Ducsay James Jacks
Starring
Brendan Fraser Jet Li Maria Bello John Hannah Michelle Yeoh Russell Wong Liam Cunningham Luke Ford Isabella Leong
Cinematography
Simon Duggan
Edited by
Joel Negron Kelly Matsumoto
Music by
Randy Edelman
Production companies
Relativity Media The Sommers Company Alphaville Films
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release dates
July 24, 2008 (2008-07-24) (Moscow) August 1, 2008 (2008-08-01) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
English Mandarin
Budget
$145 million
Box office
$405 million
Tables
Professional ratings · Music
Source
Source
Review scores
Source
Review scores
Rating
Allmusic
Allmusic
Review scores
Allmusic
Review scores
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
· Reception › Accolades
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Award
Saturn Awards
Subject
Best Horror Film
Result
Nominated
CDG Awards
CDG Awards
Award
CDG Awards
Subject
Best Costume Design – Fantasy
Nominee
Sanja Milkovic Hays
Result
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards
Golden Reel Awards
Award
Golden Reel Awards
Subject
Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR
Nominee
Becky Sullivan, Daniel S. Irwin, John C. Stuver and Michelle Pazer
Result
Nominated
National Movie Awards
National Movie Awards
Award
National Movie Awards
Subject
Best Action/Adventure Film
Result
Nominated
Best Male Performance
Best Male Performance
Award
Best Male Performance
Subject
Brendan Fraser
Nominee
Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards
Visual Effects Society Awards
Award
Visual Effects Society Awards
Subject
Outstanding Created Environment
Nominee
Mike Meaker, Richard Mahon, Jason Iverson and Sho Hasegawa
Result
Nominated
BMI Film Awards
BMI Film Awards
Award
BMI Film Awards
Subject
Best Music
Nominee
Randy Edelman
Result
Won
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Result |
| Saturn Awards | Best Horror Film | Nominated | |
| CDG Awards | Best Costume Design – Fantasy | Sanja Milkovic Hays | Nominated |
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR | Becky Sullivan, Daniel S. Irwin, John C. Stuver and Michelle Pazer | Nominated |
| National Movie Awards | Best Action/Adventure Film | Nominated | |
| Best Male Performance | Brendan Fraser | Nominated | |
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Created Environment | Mike Meaker, Richard Mahon, Jason Iverson and Sho Hasegawa | Nominated |
| BMI Film Awards | Best Music | Randy Edelman | Won |
References
- As depicted in The Mummy Returns (2001).
- Numbershttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mummy3.htm
- The Mummy 3https://web.archive.org/web/20080307025556/http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=5091&count=0
- Turner Classic Movieshttps://web.archive.org/web/20201017102927/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/684219/the-mummy-tomb-of-the-dragon-emperor#credits
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/movies/brendan-fraser-tom-cruise-mummy-reboot-flopped-because-not-fun/
- Scorpion Kinghttps://web.archive.org/web/20071016233929/http://movies.ign.com/articles/316/316171p1.html
- Mummy 3https://web.archive.org/web/20071011083224/http://scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-05%2F19%2F12.00.film
- Archaeologyhttps://archive.archaeology.org/online/reviews/mummyIII/
- Script Slughttps://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-mummy-tomb-of-the-dragon-emperor-2008.pdf
- The Mummy 3https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225558/http://www.moviehole.net/news/20060316_fehr_talks_the_mummy_3.html
- Mummy 3http://movies.ign.com/articles/731/731359p1.html
- Mummy IIIhttp://movies.ign.com/articles/732/732017p1.html
- "Cohen in talks for 'Mummy 3'"https://variety.com/2007/film/features/cohen-in-talks-for-mummy-3-1117957041/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-mummy-director-stephen-sommers-brendan-fraser-interview-1235893764/
- "Mummy 3 Spoilers Unwrapped"https://web.archive.org/web/20070204121347/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=39670
- "Mummy 3 Exclusive – Character and casting scoops!"http://movies.ign.com/articles/765/765359p1.html
- "Li and Yeoh take "Mummy" roles"http://movies.ign.com/articles/765/765359p1.html
- "Fraser returns for 'Mummy 3'"https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/fraser-returns-for-mummy-3-2-1117962923/
- "Rachel Weisz Leaves Mummy 3"https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Rachel-Weisz-Leaves-Mummy-3-4912.html
- "Weisz criticised for 'Mummy' decision"http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a95411/weisz-criticised-for-mummy-decision.html