“Alien: Romulus” made a strong debut at the domestic box office with $41.5 million, marking the second-best opening in the long-running “Alien” franchise.
These ticket sales were enough for the latest installment in Disney and 20th Century’s sci-fi horror series to dethrone “Deadpool & Wolverine” after its three-week reign. “Deadpool & Wolverine” recently surpassed “Joker” to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, with $1.14 billion.
These successes cap off Disney’s impressive summer streak, which began with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (May’s highest-grossing film with $397 million) and continued with “Inside Out 2” (June’s top-grossing movie with $1.597 billion) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” (July’s highest-grossing film with $1.14 billion).
Earlier this month, the studio became the first in 2024 to surpass $3 billion in global ticket sales and is expected to continue building on that total with “Moana 2” (Nov. 27) and “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Dec. 20) set to release before the year’s end. This marks an encouraging turnaround after Disney’s 2023 lineup included commercial disappointments such as “The Marvels,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “The Haunted Mansion” remake, and the animated “Wish.”
“Alien: Romulus” earned $66.7 million at the international box office, bringing its global debut to $108.2 million. The R-rated film has been well-received by critics, holding an 82% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and by audiences, who gave it a “B+” grade on CinemaScore, indicating a promising theatrical run.
“This is an excellent opening for a [...] film this deep into its series,” says David A. Gross, who heads the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “In 1979, the first film elevated the quality of creature filmmaking. 45 years later, the story still resonates. This is elite and impressive business.”
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