Summary
WhileAlien: Romulusmight be a huge hit, it will still be hard for theAlienreboot to outdo a record set by Ridley Scott’s earlier prequel.TheAlienfranchise’s movieshave mostly been box office hits, with even 2017’s underwhelmingAlien: Covenantearning over $240 million. As such, it is no surprise thatAlien’s upcoming 2024 rebootAlien: Romulusis projected to earn between $30 and $50 million in its opening weekend alone. This success would always be good news for the franchise, but is particularly exciting withFX’sAlienshowAlien: Earthon the way.
After Ridley Scott’s divisiveAlienprequelsPrometheusandAlien: Covenantcomplicated the franchise’s lore, director Fede Alvarez’sAlien: Romuluslooks set to take the series back to basics.Alien: Romulus’s plot follows a group of young, inexperienced space scavengers as they board the titular abandoned space station in search of valuables. What they find instead is the franchise’s infamous Xenomorph, leading to a lot of death, destruction, and tense set-pieces as the group attempts to evade the monster.Alien: Romulus’s admittedly simple setup means the movie can be a straightforward survival horror in contrast with Scott’s philosophical prequels.
Alien: Romulus Looks Great, But This Is My Most Anticipated Upcoming Alien Project
Alien: Romulus looks fantastic, but I’m even more excited about another project that looks set to change the sci-fi horror franchise’s story forever.
Alien: Romulus Will Have A Hard Time Beating Prometheus’ Opening Weekend Record
The Franchise’s $50 Million Opening Weekend Was An Anomaly
However, that doesn’t mean thatAlien: Romuluswill be able to outdo everything about Scott’s additions to the franchise.Alien: Romuluscould potentially have the biggest opening weekend in the series, but this would require the movie to max out its projections. 2012’sAlienprequelPrometheusset the franchise record with a $51 million opening weekend and evenAlien: Romulus’ most optimistic projections cap its earning potential at around $50 million.Alien: Romuluscan’t copy all ofAlien’s tricks, but the reboot will undoubtedly attempt to outdo Scott’s prequels financially. This is unlikely to happen for numerous reasons.
With Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba,Prometheusboasted a far starrier cast thanAlien: Romulus.Prometheusalso had a budget of over $100 million and was sold as a sci-fi blockbuster rather than an intense horror. In contrast, the marketing of Alvarez’sAlien: Romulushas pointedly foregrounded the reboot’s horror elements. TheAlienfranchise’s second and third-best opening weekends,Alien Vs Predator’s $38 million andAlien: Covenant’s $36 million, might be easier targets for the reboot to dethrone. Meanwhile, although the opening weekend ofAlvarez’s 2016 hitDon’t Breatheearned an impressive $26 million,Alien: Romulusshould outdo this.
Alien: Romulus Can Be A Success Without Beating Prometheus’ Record
Alien: Romulus Doesn’t Need To Outdo Alien’s Prequel To Be A Hit
Even ifAlien: Romulusdoesn’t outstripPrometheus’s opening weekend, the reboot could still be a big hit for Alvarez and the franchise. A $50 million opening weekend would be a wild achievement for a mid-budget horror reboot, whereasPrometheusrequired almost $50 million solely so the expensive prequel could justify its bigger budget. Alvarez wisely opted to makeAlien: Romulusa smaller, more self-contained standalone story thanPrometheus, which might result in a lower opening weekend. Fortunately, this doesn’t make theAlienreboot’s critical and commercial success any less likely, andAlien: Romuluscould still prove a huge hit.
