Reviews were decidedly weak for Universal's "Dracula Untold" this past weekend. A strange hybrid that bears no real relation to author Bram Stoker's character, the film opted for an action fantasy spin on real life 15th century Romanian ruler Vlad III who himself partly inspired Stoker's creation.

Yet it also serves as the opening salvo in something more ambitious, Universal's proposed on screen team-up of its classic monsters range. In essence, Luke Evans' Vlad Tepes/Dracula is this supernatural cinematic universe's equivalent of Tony Stark/Iron Man - albeit with a lot less snark and a lot more brooding.

Audiences, especially in global markets, checked it out "Dracula Untold" as the film opened to a so-so $23 million domestically and a more impressive $62 million internationally. 'Untold' was a costly venture though, and eyes will be following its box-office closely in coming weeks to see whether audiences are interested in either a potential monster mash-up,...