Director behind Tom Cruise's 'The Mummy' says there's 'a million things' he regrets about the film

• Alex Kurtzman appeared on The Playlist's "Bingeworthy" podcast on Friday.
• Kurtzman said his 2017 film "The Mummy" was "the biggest failure" of his life.

The director of "The Mummy" got candid about the 2017 film that starred Tom Cruise, calling it his "biggest failure."

Alex Kurtzman appeared on Friday's episode of The Playlist's "Bingeworthy" podcast" where he recalled his time working on the film.

"The Mummy" was initially a flop, making less than $32 million during its opening weekend despite a budget of around $190 million.

Although the film garnered more than $400 million internationally, critics panned the film and prompted Universal to halt plans for a "Dark Universe" franchise based on its classic monster films, Entertainment Weekly reported.

"I tend to subscribe to the point of view that you learn nothing from your successes, and you learn everything from your failures. And that was probably the biggest failure of my life, both personally and professionally,' Kurtzman, 48, said about the film. "There are about a million things I regret about it, but it also gave me so many gifts that are inexpressibly beautiful."

Kurtzman continued saying that he "didn't become a director" until he made "The Mummy."

"And it wasn't because it was well directed – it was because it wasn't," he said. "And as brutal as it was, in many ways, and as many cooks in the kitchen as there were, I am very grateful for the opportunity to make those mistakes because it rebuilt me into a tougher person and it also rebuilt me into a clearer filmmaker."

Kurtzman added that his experience on "The Mummy" has made him more vocal.

"And that has been a real gift, and I feel those gifts all the time because I'm very clear now when I have a feeling that doesn't feel right — I am not quiet about it anymore," Kurtzman said. "I will literally not proceed when I feel that feeling. It's not worth it to me. And you can't get to that place of gratitude until you've had that kind of experience."

Representatives for Kurtzman did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

After "The Mummy" was released, some studio insiders blamed Tom Cruise, who they said had "excessive creative control" over the project, for the movie flopping.

Variety reported that Cruise's contract with Universal on "The Mummy" granted him control over most aspects of the project, including script approval and post-production decisions.

Sources told Variety that Kurtzman "struggled to adjust to the scope of the project," and it felt like Cruise was the real director because he made decisions on major action sequences and micromanaged production.

In a 2017 interview with Insider's Jason Guerrasio, Kurtzman said he was used to Cruise's collaborative nature.

"It's a constant back-and-forth, a constant partnership," he told Insider.