20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus — the latest chapter in the iconic Alien franchise — took the No. 1 spot with an estimated $41.5 million opening at the domestic box office this weekend, exceeding industry expectations.
This is the second biggest domestic opening in the current Alien series and the biggest opening of director Fede Alvarez’s career.
The film — which stars Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson — was also a global hit notching an estimated $108.2 million worldwide.
This weekend saw The Walt Disney Studios hold both the No. 1 and No. 2 spots domestically with Alien: Romulus and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Alien: Romulus — which takes place chronologically after 1979’s Alien which was directed by Ridley Scott — follows a young group of scavengers who come face-to-face with the most terrifying creature in the universe.
Scott acted as a producer on Romulus, and “he’s been a great partner at every level,” according to Alvarez.
“At the beginning, he was the first one to really pinpoint the things that were going to make this movie pop. And he was totally right,” Alvarez said. “So, he helped me to zero in on the elements that needed all of my attention.”
Alvarez — who also wrote the film with Rodo Sayagues — added that “the whole point of this movie was to take back Alien to the simplicity of the beginning of the franchise, where it was, above all things, a horror movie.”
The new film was also a hit with critics, as it is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Alien: Romulus caps off The Walt Disney Company’s strong summer at the box office with Disney releasing the No. 1 title for May, June, and July.
The Walt Disney Studios now account for an estimated 42% of the Domestic summer box office, having held the No. 1 spot for 8 of the 16 weekends.
That includes the highest grossing animated film of all time, Inside Out 2 ($1.626 billion at the box office globally), and the highest grossing R-rated film of all time, Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.143 billion at the box office globally).
On top of that, another film from a franchise formerly under the 21st Century Fox umbrella — May’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — earned roughly $400 million at the global box office.
Alien: Romulus is yet another example of Disney’s unique ability to produce creative stories while crafting must-see theatrical events for a global audience.
