Why Alien: Romulus Blew Everyone Away At The Box Office

Contains spoilers for "Alien: Romulus"

Back in 1979, Ridley Scott directed his science fiction/horror magnum opus, "Alien." But it was so much more than a standard horror flick featuring gray visitors with big heads. Everything from the design of the Xenomorphs to iconic moments like one of the creatures bursting out of Kane's (John Hurt) chest seared itself into audience's minds. It paved the way for sci-fi films to take bigger swings, and it spawned a new franchise where each installment does something a little differently. In other words, "Alien" changed movies even if no one initially noticed.

1986's "Aliens" followed up the horror-tinged original with more action-oriented sensibilities. When Scott returned to the franchise with 2012's "Prometheus," he forwent a standard "Alien" entry and instead leaned into hard sci-fi, exploring the origins of the Xenomorphs as well as mankind itself. Now, 45 years later, the series has proven it still has staying power, with "Alien: Romulus" blowing everyone away both critically and financially. 

Taking place between the events of "Alien" and "Aliens," while still incorporating elements from films like "Alien: Resurrection" and "Prometheus," "Romulus" is proof positive that there's something inherent about the Xenomorphs that gets under people's skin and has them coming back for more. But how exactly did we get here, where an R-rated sci-fi flick does so well at the summer box office that it outperforms other, "safer" options? Let's look at how "Alien: Romulus" has already turned itself into a box office juggernaut. 

"Alien: Romulus" put up surprisingly robust numbers in its opening weekend. The film made $41.5 million domestically, with an extra $66.7 million coming from overseas. That means it's pulled in $108.2 million worldwide in just a few days, giving the film the second-best opening weekend in the franchise's history, just behind "Prometheus," which earned around $51 million domestically in the same time frame. 

The success of "Romulus" also owes some thanks to China, where it overperformed with an astonishing $25.7 million in that country alone. That makes it the second biggest opener in China in 2024, right behind "Deadpool and Wolverine," another flick under the Disney umbrella following the company's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. "Romulus" may have kicked "Deadpool and Wolverine" out of the top spot, but the winner in all of this is truly corporate synergy. 

All of this proves there's still heavy interest in the "Alien" franchise. "Romulus" represents an improvement over the previous entry, "Alien: Covenant," which made $36.1 million in its opening frame. Numerous explanations exist for why "Romulus" struck a chord at this point in time, setting the stage for more "Alien" to come. 

Moreso than other franchises, "Alien" movies tend to take their sweet time, with each feature-length installment usually taking five to seven years to hit the big screen. Following 1997's "Alien: Resurrection," the Xenomorphs were tied up in the crossover films "Alien vs. Predator" and "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem." The series came back with Ridley Scott taking the reins again for 2012's "Prometheus," and Scott returned for 2017's "Alien: Covenant." However, "Covenant" was largely seen as an underperformer, particularly in the wake of "Prometheus."

"Covenant" ended its run with $240 million worldwide whereas "Prometheus" brought in over $400 million five years prior. One reason for "Covenant" not doing so well could be that it came out just two weeks after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," so if people wanted to see an epic space adventure, they had "Guardians" to watch as opposed to another "Alien" movie. "Covenant" was supposed to receive a follow-up in the form of "Alien: Awakening," but that film didn't happen and seemingly got shelved in favor of a back-to-basics approach with "Alien: Romulus." 

2019 saw the release of a few "Alien" short films to commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary as well as an "Alien: Isolation" web series, but it's been a while since an "Alien" flick was available in theaters. With "Covenant" somewhat overlooked upon release, people may have been primed for a good, old-fashioned "Alien" movie to get them invested in the series once more. 

The last two "Alien" movies — "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant" — saw Ridley Scott clearly trying to take the franchise in a new direction. "Prometheus" is largely absent of Xenomorphs, while both films involve more philosophical discussions about humanity's place in the universe and explore the concept of how humankind's creators could end up hating us. Ideas concerning original sin and hubris run rampant, and while there are still alien attacks and body horror, they often take a backseat to these larger ideas Scott wants to explore.

These departures resulted in mixed receptions for both movies. In particular, "Alien: Covenant" holds a 65% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. General audiences were even more critical, giving the film a score of 55%. Many reviews called out "Covenant" for having too much on its plate, such as the Globe and Mail stating, "The new film is intended to act as several things, none of them particularly admirable."

In contrast, "Alien: Romulus" takes the franchise back to its roots. The plot largely resembles that of the original "Alien," with a group of people trapped on a space station with Xenomorphs and Facehuggers running amok. "Alien: Romulus" has ample Easter eggs and small details to dig into, occasionally to its own detriment, as characters literally just quote previous "Alien" movies. However, there's no denying the results, with audiences responding to an "Alien" movie that knows it's an "Alien" movie. 

Mixed reviews may have kept people away from "Alien: Covenant," but the Rotten Tomatoes reviews for "Alien: Romulus" were largely positive. Critics and audiences were on the same page with the newest installment, with the film scoring 82% and 86%, respectively, on the platform. Many appear to think the movie's a fun ride that's everything one could want out of another "Alien" entry, with The Atlantic noting, "'Alien: Romulus' really shines when it plays like a straightforward 'Alien' movie — and doesn't pander to the demands of franchisable intellectual property."

Empire's review was of a similar mind, stating, "'Alien: Romulus' plays the hits, but crucially remembers the ingredients for what makes a good 'Alien' film, and executes them with stunning craft and care." Interestingly, while some critics praised "Romulus" for getting back to the roots of the franchise, some reviews berated the film for being too reliant on the past. The Washington Post issued a mostly positive review while still asserting, "It's a no-frills, straight-up genre piece built largely on the bones of the first two movies. All that's missing are originality and a convincing final act."

While many people thought "Covenant" deviated too much from what had come before, some critics are now saying "Romulus" is almost too familiar. You can't please everyone, but these reviews and others likely convinced audiences that "Romulus" would give them precisely what they wanted out of an "Alien" flick, and sometimes, that's all you need. 

While "Alien: Covenant" opened two weeks after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" back in 2017, "Alien: Romulus" has opened three weeks after a different Marvel movie — "Deadpool and Wolverine" — but fared much better. It's possible that the extra week was enough of a buffer for audiences, plus there really hasn't been anything that could compromise people's excitement over an "Alien" movie. "It Ends With Us" targeted a very different crowd, while "Borderlands," coming out a week before on August 9, utterly bombed at the box office. 

It's also been a solid summer for horror films and thrillers. "Longlegs" exceeded expectations earlier in July, taking in over $100 million globally against a budget of just $10 million. "A Quiet Place: Day One" also blew everyone away at the box office right before "Longlegs" came out. 

While the summer got off on rocky footing with "The Fall Guy" and "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" stumbling financially, audiences have been more receptive to seeing movies in theaters lately. Following the success of "Alien: Romulus," Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told U.S. News and World Report, "We thought we were going to coast through August, but now we're powering through August towards a much better overall summer number than we expected for the box office." While there were concerns that audiences were no longer interested in going to theaters in the advent of streaming, films like "Romulus" prove otherwise. 

When someone walks into an "Alien" movie, they can be pretty certain there will be ample kills courtesy of Xenomorphs. "Alien: Romulus" definitely fulfills that promise, featuring kills utilizing acid blood and a Xenomorph bursting out of someone's chest. While all of that is largely what fans have seen before from this franchise, "Romulus" veers off into ridiculously amazing territory in its final act that had people talking and may have enticed others to check out the film to see it for themselves. 

The ending of "Alien: Romulus" sees Kay (Isabela Merced) inject herself with the black compound, later giving birth to a rapidly evolving entity known as the Offspring. One could say this bears similarities to the Newborn from "Alien: Resurrection," but its aesthetic is far more grotesque. Its facial movements are far more advanced than what we got with the Newborn, even smiling at one point, which is enough to send shivers down the spine. 

While many praised "Romulus" online, this final act reveal really got people worked up, such as @MaxDerrat on X (formerly known as Twitter): "The last 10-15 minutes of this movie features some of the most insane stuff I've seen in a movie ever." This kind of word of mouth is perfect for any horror film. 

The Xenomorphs may be the main attraction of an "Alien" movie, but there's no denying that "Romulus" boasts a talented young cast as well. While previous installments have focused on space truckers and Marines, "Romulus" sees a group of young people trying to avoid working for Weyland-Yutani for the rest of their lives, which brings them to the Renaissance space station. Some rising talent exists within these ranks, all of whom have bright futures ahead of them. 

The cast is led by Rain, played by Cailee Spaeny, who made waves earlier in 2024 with "Civil War" and jumped on many people's radars with the titular role in 2023's "Priscilla." David Jonsson has earned a great deal of praise for portraying the synthetic human, Andy, who veers between brotherly care and cunning manipulation. Meanwhile, Isabela Merced has numerous credits to her name already, and she's poised for bigger breakouts next year with "The Last of Us" Season 2 and James Gunn's "Superman." 

In fact, Merced appears to have ascended to the highest of honors in the horror community, with @zoerosebryant writing on X: "[Isabela Merced's] scream in ['Alien: Romulus'] is why the term scream queen exists." Having young actors with growing fanbases in the cast, it's possible that people who wouldn't otherwise be interested in an "Alien" movie may have checked it out just for them. 

When looking at a movie's financial success (or lack thereof), a film's budget is just as important a factor as the opening weekend box office numbers. "Furiosa" coming with a $168 million price tag meant its lackluster opening weekend was all the more devastating. Keeping the budget in check ensures that a movie doesn't have to break $1 billion to be seen as a success, and with that in mind, "Alien: Romulus" should do just fine in the long run. 

"Alien: Romulus" carries a budget of roughly $80 million, which is certainly a large chunk of dough but is nowhere near what other blockbusters cost. While marketing expenses also need to be considered, "Romulus" opening with $108 million globally means it's on track to turn a profit if it gets to $200 million. Its leaner budget also puts it in an inherently better position than the most recent entries in the franchise: "Prometheus" had a budget of around $130 million, while "Alien: Covenant" was also a bit higher than "Romulus" at $97 million. 

With solid word of mouth, "Romulus" could have stellar legs. There also shouldn't be much in the way of competition in the coming weeks. "The Crow" remake comes out August 23, but predictions suggest it may not even top the original's box office haul from 30 years ago. For those wanting a heavy dose of nostalgia, "Alien: Romulus" may still be their best ticket.

One might assume a film in a long-running franchise can get by on name value alone. However, "Alien: Romulus" proves that investing in a solid marketing strategy can bring dividends even for an existing IP. First and foremost, the "Romulus" trailers all had fans saying the same thing, about how frightening the Facehuggers were. The trailers also drew parallels to the original "Alien" and featured expert sound design that made the pre-chest-bursting sequence hit so much harder. 

"Alien: Romulus" followed in the footsteps of other 2024 movies like "Dune: Part Two" and "Deadpool and Wolverine" by having its own custom popcorn bucket (including a suggestive aspect like those other two as well). The marketing also entered the real world with a viral stunt where people were lying motionless around Times Square with Facehuggers attached to them. Plenty of folks took videos and photos, adding to the awareness and interest surrounding the movie. 

Name recognition is no longer enough to sell a movie. Even Marvel movies are no longer guaranteed hits, as evidenced by "The Marvels" bombing last year. The trailers showed off how utterly terrifying "Alien: Romulus" would be while real-world stunts got people talking even more. The campaign as a whole was a masterclass in raising awareness for a recognizable property, so it shouldn't be surprising that people's curiosity drew them to theaters on opening weekend. 

Going on Letterboxd or X following the opening of "Alien: Romulus" is a treat just to see people's rankings for the franchise. While "Alien" and "Aliens" often get the top spots, some people have more eclectic tastes, asserting that "Prometheus" or even "Alien 3" is the best. The truth is the "Alien" franchise has taken many big chances over the decades, with each installment doing something a little different from what's come before. "Alien: Romulus" is essentially a "greatest hits" of the franchise, offering a little something for everyone who has been invested in this series. 

At its core, the premise of any "Alien' movie is straightforward — trap a bunch of people with a killer Xenomorph. Simultaneously, there's also a rich mythology that can be expanded upon, allowing for the exploration of numerous themes, from humankind confronting its creators to corporations taking often fatal advantage of its workers. It allows the franchise to evolve in new directions, with "Alien: Earth," a new TV series from Noah Hawley, coming to FX in 2025.

With "Alien: Romulus," it's clear that Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox hasn't forced the studio to hold back on hard sci-fi and horror. 2024 alone has seen several stellar new series entries like "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" and "The First Omen." "Alien: Romulus" continues that trajectory, setting up exciting things for this franchise's future.