Box Office - 'Alien Romulus' Nabs Promising $108 Million Worldwide Debut

A surprisingly strong $26 million launch in China spurs a better-than-anticipated launch for a long-running sci-fi franchise that has long skewed overseas.

Arriving almost 20 years to the weekend of Alien Vs. Predator (whose “No Matter Who Wins, We Lose” tagline ranks among the best in modern marketing history), we’ve got another attempt to extend the Alien franchise further. Alien: Romulus, technically a 20th Century Studios production but released via Disney, the youth-skewing (in terms of its cast and its lack of kink) Alien sequel/Aliens prequel earned a decent $41.5 million in North America, with 51% coming from PLF auditoriums. Slightly smaller budget aside ($80 million versus $97 million), it is odd to treat a $36 million debut for 2017’s Alien: Covenant as a miss while treating a $41 million launch for 2024’s Alien: Romulus as a triumph. There are enough positive variables in play for me to at least dial my cranky cynicism meter to “trust but verify.”

Alien: Romulus’ $41.5 million launch is A) the second-largest opening weekend for an Alien film behind Prometheus ($51 million in 2012) and B) among the franchise’s lower “tickets sold” debuts. It sold fewer tickets in its Fri-Sun launch than Prometheus ($69 million adjusted), AvP ($66 million adjusted), Alien 3 ($60 million adjusted), Alien: Covenant ($43 million adjusted) and Alien: Resurrection ($39 million adjusted — no PLFs — over a $61 million Wed-Sun Thanksgiving debut). It’s kinda-sorta above AvP: Requiem ($15 million adjusted amid a $41 million adjusted Tues-Sun Christmas launch) and above the first two installments ($14 million adjusted for Alien and $29 million adjusted for Aliens). In terms of North American launches, it’s a sign that the franchise has a pretty consistent audience — not unlike Sony’s recent attempts to sequelize the Ghostbusters series.