Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and over $67 million worldwide. The film spawned two sequels, "" (1999) and "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002), with Myers repeatedly mentioning the possibility of a fourth film over the years (as of 2018). In 1967, British spy Austin Powers thwarts an assassination attempt by his nemesis Dr. Evil in a London nightclub. Dr. Evil escapes in a space rocket and cryogenically freezes himself. Powers volunteers to be placed into cryostasis in case Dr. Evil returns in the future. Thirty years later, in 1997, Dr. Evil returns to discover his henchman Number 2 has developed Virtucon, the legitimate front of
Austin Powers (character) Powers was a character seen as a parody of James Bond and being influenced by Harry Palmer and characters played by Peter Sellers. The character of Austin Powers represents an archetype of 1960s Swinging London, with his advocacy for free love, his use of obscure impressions and his clothing style (including crushed velvet suits and Beatle boots). Myers, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs formed the faux British 1960s band Ming Tea after Myers' "Saturday Night Live" stint in the early 1990s. The band members all performed under pseudonyms with 1960s personas. Myers adopted the pseudonym and character of Austin Powers.