Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus is making a strong impact at the box office in its debut, aiming to breathe new life into the classic franchise.
 |
| Alien: Romulus' Courtesy of 20th Century Studios |
The 20th Century and Disney film led Friday’s domestic chart with $18 million, including $6.5 million from previews, projecting an opening weekend in the $40 million to $42 million range. Notably, Romulus has dethroned Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine from the top spot.
A highlight for the filmmakers is Romulus' success in attracting both younger and older male audiences, the latter having grown up with the franchise. This marks another victory for Disney and contributes positively to the summer box office. The film has an impressive 82 percent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a near-franchise best B+ CinemaScore.
Romulus is also performing well internationally, with a projected global opening surpassing $100 million.
This eighth installment in the iconic Alien franchise is set between Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens. (Scott serves as a producer on Romulus.)
The R-rated film follows young colonists who discover a derelict space station and face the terrifying alien creature that has become the franchise's signature horror. The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn.
Initially planned for a streaming release on Disney-owned Hulu, the studio decided to shift Romulus to a theatrical release at the start of principal photography.
Deadpool & Wolverine is dropping to No. 2 after reigning for three consecutive weekends, but there's no need to pity the Marvel and Disney film. It has broken several records, now standing as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time at the global box office, not adjusted for inflation.
Directed by Shawn Levy and featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine hit a significant milestone on August 15, surpassing Joker and reaching a global total of $1.086 billion.
The threequel is projected to add another $27 million to $28 million this weekend, bringing its domestic earnings to around $545 million.
Meanwhile, It Ends With Us, Sony and Wayfarer Studios' adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, is holding the No. 3 spot in its second weekend. Starring Blake Lively, the film is expected to gross between $24 million and $26 million this weekend, pushing its domestic total to nearly $100 million by Sunday.
In its first week, the female-driven film amassed $73.7 million, marking the year's best performance for a non-sequel. The movie continues to see strong repeat viewership, despite ongoing social media chatter about a rumored rift between Blake Lively and co-star/director Justin Baldoni, who has enlisted a seasoned PR crisis manager to handle the situation.
Universal’s Twisters is projected to land at No. 4, now also available on premium VOD. Trailing behind is the 15th anniversary re-release of Focus Features’ stop-motion classic Coraline, handled by Fathom Events, which garnered $5.8 million on Thursday and Friday alone.
0 Comments