The newest film in the Alien sci-fi horror franchise called Alien: Romulus had a highly successful first day in movie theaters. The movie brought in $18 million on its opening Friday, setting it up for an estimated $40 million opening weekend. This is a strong performance considering the film was originally planned for a direct release to the Hulu streaming service.
Director Fede Álvarez explained in an interview with Variety magazine that the decision for a streaming release was made when theaters were still struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “At that point, movie theaters weren’t doing well,” Álvarez said. He pushed for a theatrical run once theater attendance started improving. His crew supported this change, with Álvarez recalling that the announcement of a theater release led to loud cheers.
In contrast, another sci-fi horror film from 2022 called Prey that is set in the Predator franchise went straight to Hulu despite positive reviews. The different outcomes show how movie distribution continues to change as the industry recovers from the pandemic.
With a $80 million budget, Romulus had a lower cost than previous Alien films. It also earned an B+ grade from CinemaScore, which pollstheatre audiences, marking the best rating for an Alien movie since Aliens directed by James Cameron.
The film’s success adds to a string of hits for Disney this year, including Deadpool and Wolverine alongside Inside Out 2. The Deadpool sequel is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever worldwide with over $1 billion in ticket sales. Other films doing well currently are the relationship drama It Ends With Us in its second weekend and a 3D re-release of the stop-motion animated film Coraline from 2005.
As studios weigh whether to debut films in theaters or on streaming services, the box office figures from Alien: Romulus may affect these choices, especially for big-budget franchises. The movie also demonstrates that long-running series can still find new audiences.
