As a seasoned movie enthusiast with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that this weekend’s box office numbers have left me utterly amazed! The sheer power of Alien: Romulus has truly shaken the foundations of our cinematic world. With its staggering three-day total of $108.2 million, it’s safe to say that this film has left the competition in the dust.
2024 saw a relatively sluggish beginning for summer movie season openings, however, things picked up in early June and have been thriving since then. In recent weeks, Shawn Levy’s film “Deadpool & Wolverine” has dominated the limelight, following the success of Kelsey Mann’s “Inside Out 2” and Lee Isaac Chung’s “Twisters”. Yet, the release of Fede Álvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” has since taken center stage with a strong debut.
In a few short years, we’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s “Alien” from 1979, yet the sci-fi horror series continues to captivate audiences, as evidenced by the recent release featuring Cailee Spaeny which enjoyed one of the franchise’s most successful opening weekends. Take a look at the full Top 10 and let’s discuss further insights later on.
Alien: Romulus Wins The Domestic Box Office With The Second Best Opening Weekend In The History Of The Alien Franchise
2012’s Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” significantly raised the standard for the contemporary era of the “Alien” series. Although opinions on the film’s quality vary among fans, it was a commercial success. With a budget greater than any previous installment in the series, it began its cinematic run with an impressive $51.1 million opening weekend in the U.S., and ultimately accumulated $402.4 million worldwide during its theatrical release.
Currently, we’re unsure if Alien: Romulus will be able to achieve such impressive figures in the long run, but it’s undeniably making a strong beginning.
In its initial three days at the cinema, the latest addition to the Alien series, now recognized as having the second highest opening of the franchise, surpassed the reign of Deadpool and Wolverine on the domestic box office by earning $41.5 million. Compared to its unadjusted earnings, it has outshone Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, which made $36.2 million during its premiere in May 2017.
In a 2024 context, the opening weekend earnings placed it as the 13th largest of the year, falling slightly short of Gil Kenan’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ($45 million) but surpassing John Krasinski’s “IF” ($33.7 million).
Last week, the movie started gaining more recognition among critics who praised it as an impressive mix of “Alien” and James Cameron’s “Aliens.” I awarded it 3.5 stars in my Alien: Romulus TopMob review, stating that it firmly ranks third in the franchise. Additionally, CinemaScore surveys have shown positive feedback from viewers, with the August genre release receiving a “B+” grade from audiences.
Despite strong performances by “Alien: Romulus” in the U.S. and Canada over the past three days, the film’s most substantial business lies abroad. Last week, Deadline forecasted that Fede Álvarez’s movie would earn approximately $75 million worldwide within its first Friday-to-Sunday release. These predictions held true domestically, as it was projected to sell tickets worth around $40 million. However, the anticipated demand for the film overseas seemed to have been underestimated. Contrary to expectations that the movie would generate $35 million from foreign markets, it actually earned a staggering $66.7 million.
Instead of amassing a total of $75 million so far, the three-day earnings for Alien: Romulus have reached an impressive $108.2 million.
With summer’s major blockbuster movies wrapping up, this film is well-positioned to rake in substantial earnings in the coming weeks. The success of its run largely hinges on audience reactions, so there will be close scrutiny of its weekly drop percentage when box office results are reported next Sunday.
Deadpool & Wolverine Pads Its Numbers As The Biggest R-Rated Worldwide Release Of All Time
Reflecting on last weekend, it seemed clear that the reign of Deadpool and Wolverine at the box office was drawing to a close with the arrival of Alien: Romulus. Yet, it’s worth mentioning that the debut of another R-rated genre film from the same studio didn’t completely quench the appetite for Marvel Studios’ latest release. Remarkably, the blockbuster has continued to thrive domestically, raking in an additional $29 million.
The duo of Deadpool & Wolverine has raked in a staggering $1.14 billion worldwide, with earnings of $545.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $596.8 million overseas, after just four weeks since its release. This blockbuster movie has surpassed all other R-rated films, outperforming Todd Phillips’ Joker, which made $1.06 billion in 2019, becoming the most successful R-rated movie ever made.
The film has climbed into the Top 10 highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe movies globally, having surpassed the earnings of Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” It’s just $10 million away from outperforming Joe and Anthony Russo’s “Captain America: Civil War.” Previously, I mentioned that given its current success, it wouldn’t be surprising if this boosted the franchise’s viewpoint towards regularly producing R-rated films.
Laika’s Coraline Lands In The Top 5 Amid Its Theatrical Re-Release
To wrap up, I’d like to mention that Henry Selick’s Coraline isn’t just among the Top 10 movies this week, but it’s actually in the Top 5. Fathom Events brought back Laika’s stop-motion feature to cinemas on Friday (specifically, at 1,535 locations) for its fifteenth anniversary celebration. Surprisingly, it was a massive success, earning $8.4 million over the past three days – which is half of what it made in its opening weekend back in 2009 ($16.8 million). Clearly, there’s a lot of affection for this charmingly eerie film, and we’re not even close to Halloween yet!
As we move forward, “Alien: Romulus” will strive to maintain its number one spot at the box office this upcoming Friday. It’ll face tough competition from fresh releases such as Zoë Kravitz’s film, “Blink Twice“, and Rupert Sanders’ reimagining of “The Crow“, starring Bill Skarsgård. Don’t forget to visit TopMob again next Sunday to see the final results in the Top 10. To learn more about upcoming movies, check out our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.
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2024-08-18 22:07