Fede Álvarez’s new film, “Alien: Romulus”, has made a spectacular debut in the iconic Alien franchise.
With its impressive box office performance and strong international showing, the film has quickly established itself as a major hit.
Premiering on August 16, the film earned $45.1 million in its opening weekend, marking the second highest debut in the franchise’s history.
Alien: Romulus also performed well internationally, bringing in $66.7 million from overseas markets and totaling $108.2 million globally.
The newest installment in the Alien series stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn, and currently holds an 82 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating positive reviews.
Set between Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens, Romulus introduces a new chapter where a group of colonists discovers a devastated space station and faces the franchise’s infamous alien antagonist.
Originally planned for a Hulu release, the film was ultimately released in theaters. Director Álvarez explained to Variety,
“The decision to go theatrical was made before theaters were fully healthy. It was always intended to be an ambitious film for a streaming platform.”
He recalled the excitement
surrounding the film’s theatrical release, noting the enthusiastic reaction to the announcement.