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Universal Pictures built its legacy with horror movies featuring Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man during the heydays of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the 1930s and '40s. More recently, the studio has made a well-publicized bet that it can create a series of successful films by bringing those creatures back from the dead. But its long-gestating plan to transform old-school monsters into modern-day blockbusters hit a snag last weekend, as the big-budget Tom Cruise movie "The Mummy" flopped at the domestic box office. The weak opening underscores the challenges facing studios as they seek to revive old franchises for contemporary audiences that have more options than going to the multiplex. "This is a brand they're trying to create, and it's a horrible start," said Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "There is a learning curve, and that's what Universal will probably write this off as." Studios have always relied on sequels and reboots to capitalize on the popularity of well-known material.

The head of Google's commercial operations in the Western Hemisphere this week spoke with the soon-to-be largest ad spender in the United States and one of Hollywood's biggest movie studios, to showcase how large traditional media companies are transitioning to digital marketing. On stage at CES 2017, a trio of executives from the companies also discussed the challenge of managing disparate marketing metrics and fears related to machine learning. AT&T and Universal Pictures currently spend 30 percent of their marketing budgets on digital media, according to Fiona Carter, chief brand officer of AT&T, and Josh Goldstine, president of worldwide marketing at Universal Pictures. Margo Georgiadis, president of Americas at Google, is enthusiastic about the increase in digital spending (especially when the dollars land in Google's coffers) but she said it's more difficult today for marketers to understand the value of their spend as the number of consumer touchpoints -- mobile, web, app, social and video -- grows. The rise of digital outlets and their corresponding marketing metrics makes it nearly impossible to prove the ultimate value of a brand, according to Carter.

Orcs and humans must come together to fight a new enemy in'Warcraft.' The orcs Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer -- played via motion capture by Toby Kebbell and Rob Kazinsky -- are part of an invading force in'Warcraft.' Populating a fantasy landscape of wizards, warriors and monster wolves was all important to Warcraft director Duncan Jones. Yet just as key to the video-game adaptation is the tragedy and humanity at its core. Or, as he puts it, "we were trying to make a real movie."

Orcs and humans must come together to fight a new enemy in'Warcraft.' The orcs Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer -- played via motion capture by Toby Kebbell and Rob Kazinsky -- are part of an invading force in'Warcraft.' Populating a fantasy landscape of wizards, warriors and monster wolves was all important to Warcraft director Duncan Jones. Yet just as key to the video-game adaptation is the tragedy and humanity at its core. Or, as he puts it, "we were trying to make a real movie."