The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008): Cast, Plot and Where to Watch

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor follows the O'Connell family in 1946 as they try to stop a Chinese emperor who has been cursed into clay for two thousand years from waking his army. The emperor sought eternal life in ancient times, and a sorceress cursed him and his soldiers into a terracotta army before he could have it.

In 1946 the retired adventurer Rick O'Connell and his wife Evelyn are drawn back into action after their grown son Alex digs up the emperor's tomb. Alex's archaeology professor is secretly working for a rogue military faction that wants the emperor revived, and a young woman named Lin, who has her own link to the curse, steps in as the emperor returns to life.

That makes this a different kind of monster story from the mummy 1999 and the mummy returns. Those films were built around one bandaged priest, while here the threat is a whole army that can march the moment its master wakes. If you want the full run of events, including the Himalayas and the finish, the next section carries a spoiler warning.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor reached US theaters on August 1, 2008, the UK on August 8, 2008, and Australia on September 11, 2008, according to Box Office Mojo. It was rated PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia.

On money, Box Office Mojo lists a $145 million budget against about $403 million worldwide, made up of roughly $102 million domestic and $301 million international. About three quarters of the total came from outside the US. For comparison, the mummy 1999 cost less to make and took about $418 million worldwide, and the mummy returns also cost less and took about $444 million.

So, is it a hit or a flop? It grossed about $403 million worldwide on a $145 million budget, but it had the biggest budget of the three main films and the lowest gross of the three, with a domestic figure well below both earlier entries. The Numbers lists different budget and gross figures, so the numbers here follow Box Office Mojo. For the full series table, see the mummy box office.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was filmed across Canada, China and England. Studio work took place at Mel's Cite du Cinema in Montreal, including the terracotta mausoleum.

China supplied the location work. Shooting covered a Shanghai studio city set and locations, and sites in the Beijing area, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Hengdian, including the climactic battle. In England, production used Shepperton Studios and Waddesdon Manor.

So, the terracotta mausoleum was a studio build in Montreal, while the climactic battle was shot on location in China. The Hollywood Reporter covered the China shoot and the Montreal studio work during production.

The Mummy 3 has a handful of production facts that explain how it differs from the two films before it.

• Maria Bello took over the role of Evelyn after Rachel Weisz did not return for the third film.
• Rob Cohen directed after Stephen Sommers, who made the first two films, stepped back to a producer role.
• The score is by Randy Edelman, with additional music by John Debney.
• Studio set construction was done at Mel's Cite du Cinema in Montreal, with further shooting in China.
• The film was made with Chinese partners and cleared Chinese censors before release in China.
• Alex O'Connell was played by Freddie Boath in the mummy returns and by Luke Ford here.
• The film is the fifth by release date and fifth in chronological order, set in 1946, after the scorpion king in release order and before the mummy 2017.

If you are unsure which films belong together, the mummy timeline lays out the order.