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It’s no secret that the majority of Disney’s biggest hits this year are essentially inherited titles from 20th Century Studios. But while Deadpool & Wolverine was always expected to do well, the science-fiction horror “inter-quel” Alien: Romulus, and the soft reboot Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes have emerged as pleasant surprises. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes concluded its global run with a hair under $400 million, which was seen as a solid result, all things considered. And now, Alien: Romulus is teetering at the edge of its own box office milestone.
With $103 million domestically and another $238 million from overseas markets, the film’s cumulative global haul stands at $341 million. All that remains to be seen is if it has enough gas in the tank to pass the $350 million milestone before it taps out entirely. Even if it doesn’t, there’s no denying that Alien: Romulus is a hit worth celebrating for Disney. Not only did it greatly improve on the performance of its predecessor, Alien: Covenant, it is now the second-biggest hit in the long-running franchise’s history.
Directed by Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus is set between the events of Ridley Scott’s seminal original film, Alien, and its equally beloved sequel, Aliens, directed by James Cameron. Both those movies made less than $200 million worldwide, but they were released decades ago. The more recent Covenant, also directed by Scott, grossed an underwhelming $238 million globally, against a reported budget of just under $100 million. Covenant served as a direct follow-up to Prometheus, which was also directed by Scott. A prequel to the first Alien, Prometheus remains the top-grossing film of the franchise, and the only installment to crack the $400 million mark worldwide.
The Alien Franchise Is Nearing a Milestone Of Its Own
The Alien franchise is among the most resilient that Hollywood has ever produced, having survived not only critically panned flops, but also largely forgotten spin-offs. The series is on the verge of passing $2 billion in cumulative global box office revenue, although with $26 million separating it from that milestone, the chances of it achiveing this goal look slim at this stage. Produced on a reported budget of $80 million, Alien: Romulus opened to mostly positive reviews, and appears to have settled at a “fresh” 80% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn.
You can watch Alien: Romulus in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
