Universal Pictures have done some chopping and changing in regards to their two big monster movies of next year. The newly titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (previously named The Curse of the Dragon) will now hit our screens on August 1st 2008, with Hellboy 2: The Golden Army now taking it’s place and opening on July 11th 2008.

So marketing wise, what does this mean?

Well Hellboy 2 will be going up against a Ben Stiller movie titled Tropic Thunder starring himself, Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr… so it would seem Hellboy got the short straw. Stiller and Owen always equals box office gold and this doesn’t spark to well for Hellboy with The Dark Knight opening just a week later.

The Mummy 3 then at the moment will be going up against Journey 3-D which I don’t think will stay like that otherwise Brendan Fraser will be going up against himself in two huge summer blockbuster movies on the same weekend. Something has gotta give there and with the Olympics taking place in Beijing around that time, the Chinese themed Mummy movie is obviously looking for that extra little bit of exposure.

Can’t help but feel Hellboy got shafted with this one and I would expect Journey 3-D to run the hell away from The Mumm sooner rather than later.

source - shock till you drop