Report suggests Tom Cruise had too much control over The Mummy

An in-depth report suggests Tom Cruise had too much creative control on the set of commercial and critical flop The Mummy.

The movie is one of Tom Cruise's worst-reviewed films yet, with just a 16 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It's also struggled at the box office, and with a reported US$190 million budget, and many more millions spent on marketing, it may struggle to recoup those costs.

Now, an in-depth report by Variety may reveal what went wrong.

The story quotes unnamed sources who claim Cruise wore too many hats during the film's production, having a say over "even the smallest decisions".

He reportedly took over direction from Alex Kurtzman, who was making just his second feature film, "often dictating the major action sequences and micro-managing the production".

He also reportedly hired new scriptwriters to beef up his role, adding a plot twist and turning the film from "a scary summer popcorn movie into a standard-issue Tom Cruise vehicle". He was also present in the movie's editing suite.

A statement from Universal denied Cruise's influence affected the movie.

"Tom approaches every project with a level of commitment and dedication that is unmatched by most working in our business today.

"He has been a true partner and creative collaborator, and his goal with any project he works on is to provide audiences with a truly cinematic moviegoing experience."

Cruise is currently in New Zealand filming Mission: Impossible 6.