This weekend, Disney’s 20th Century Studios released the latest instalment in the “Alien” franchise in cinemas worldwide. 

“Alien: Romulus” takes place chronologically after 1979’s “Alien,” directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a young group of scavengers who come face-to-face with the most terrifying creature in the universe.

Disney has announced that the film took the No. 1 spot with an estimated $41.5 million opening at the domestic box office this weekend, exceeding industry expectations.  Globally, “Alien: Romulus” made an estimated $108.2 million worldwide over the weekend.

The movie had a budget of $80 million dollars and was originally created to be released directly onto Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ internationally.

However, recently, Disney has changed its strategy to refocus on theatrical releases, with a digital/streaming release to follow.  This shift back to a pre-Disney+ era strategy is now paying off for the studio, as “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2” are two of the biggest box office hits of the year, both pulling in over a billion dollars.  Meanwhile, 20th Century Studios also had a box office hit earlier this year with “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes”, which earned roughly $400 million at the global box office.

Disney stated that the success of “Alien: Romulus”,  is yet another example of Disney’s unique ability to produce creative stories while crafting must-see theatrical events for a global audience.

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

“Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers. 

Roger’s Take:  “Alien: Romulus” has shot out of the gate with an impressive box office haul, and that is only going to continue to rise in the coming months, especially in the build-up to Halloween when audiences want to watch scary movies.  With a strong box office opening, this shows how Disney’s shift from releasing its movies back in cinemas first is working for them, since releasing movies like “Prey” directly onto streaming services ultimately costs them more money, without all the additional revenue from digital and licensing money, in addition to the box office.   Disney still has some movies scheduled to be released directly onto Hulu and Disney+, but they are far fewer than in previous years and are only likely to get less and less.

Did you go see “Alien: Romulus” at the cinema this weekend?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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