Even without Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), there’s still plenty of money thatAliencan make at thebox office,andAlien: Romuluscould very well set the record for the best opening weekend of any film in the beloved sci-fi horror franchise. With only 10 more days to go before director Fede Álvarez’s cinematic contribution to theAlienseries hits theaters,Romulusis eyeing a domestic debut in the neighborhood of $35 million to $50 million (perBoxoffice Pro). If theCailee Spaeny-led outer space thriller can lean into the top end of that forecast,Romuluscould have the biggest opening weekend domestically of all nineAlienmovies.
2012’sPrometheus,which starsX-Menalum Michael Fassbender, currently holds the record for the best opening weekend with $51 million. And while not doing quite as well asPrometheus,the last big-screen installment from the saga,Alien: Covenant(2017), also did respectable business during its own debut with $36.2 million.
Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Check out the film-by-film numbers for each of theAlienmovies’ openings below (perBox Office Mojo):
Alien Franchise’s Opening Weekend Numbers Domestically
Can Alien: Romulus Top Franchise’s Best Worldwide Total?
BTS clips ofAlien: Romulusare already teasing a dark and harrowing time for the latest humans to encounter the dangerous and unpredictable Xenomorph in what is clearly the makings of pure Silver Screen nightmare fuel. ButRomuluswill still have a long way to go in order to match the financial success of the otherAlienmovies, in terms of theatrical release totals around the world, if it does land the best opening-weekend numbers of all time. Check out the film-by-film domestic totals for each installment in theAliensaga, and their respective critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes, below:
Alien Franchise’s Domestic Box Office Totals Unadjusted for Inflation
Box Office
Rotten Tomatoes Score
$79 million
$85.2 million
$55.5 million
Alien: Resurrection
$47.8 million
Alien vs. Predator
$80.3 million
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
$41.8 million
Prometheus
$126.5 million
Alien: Covenant
$74.3 million
This Alien: Romulus Japanese Trailer Teases Far More Facehugger Horror
The latest look at the Alien prequel promises a sci-fi horror classic.
As it turns out, despite how lucrative theAlienfilms have been, none have cracked the $500-million mark at the box office globally, and sinceAliensnone have been universally acclaimed. It’s also worth noting that since the release ofAlien vs Predatorin 2004 — debuted 20 years ago — the Xenomorph has fared even better overseas than in the United States.
The fearsome Xenomorph and Facehuggers look ready to terrorize and reproduce inthe official trailer forAlien: Romulus.However, will the latest film in the sci-fi horror franchise be able to match or exceed the global box office totals boasted by the most lucrative entry in the series? The best worldwide total currently belongs toPrometheus($403.4 million). The other question that needs to be asked is: How much business willDeadpool & Wolverinesteal fromRomulus?
