Box Office Results: Alien: Romulus Scores Second-Best Franchise Opening

As a gamer who’s seen more movie releases than I’ve cleared levels in my favorite RPG, I must say, it’s been quite an exhilarating summer for Hollywood! After a rough patch with some underperforming titles, Disney has managed to score three straight hits, the latest being Alien: Romulus. This sci-fi horror sequel/prequel has outshone even my top-tier characters, dethroning Deadpool and Wolverine at the box office!

It’s amazing how the box office outcomes from a few months can reshape one’s viewpoint. Following a series of failures in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Garfield, it seemed as if Hollywood had met its end. However, summer 2024 is shaping up to be quite profitable, particularly for Disney, which has just secured its third consecutive success with Alien: Romulus.

In simple terms, Fede Álvarez’s sci-fi horror sequel/prequel has dethroned Deadpool and Wolverine as the top earners at both domestic and international box offices. It raked in $41.5 million in North America and an additional $108.2 million worldwide, surpassing initial projections of a $75M global opening. This impressive performance can be attributed to a successful marketing campaign, as it was originally planned for release on Hulu. The ninth film in the franchise is expected to bring in significant revenue for Disney, potentially rivaling or even exceeding the earnings of Deadpool and Wolverine ($545.8M/$1.093B) and Inside Out 2 ($642.1M/$1.625B).

The new Alien movie earned $42 million in its opening weekend, making it the second most successful Alien film at the box office when you don’t adjust for inflation. This is just behind Prometheus ($51 million) and above AVP: Alien vs. Predator ($38.3 million). This shows that Ridley Scott’s saga still has a lot of appeal to audiences. The movie received a B+ from CinemaScore and 86% approval on RottenTomatoes. With few other options in the next three weeks, we can expect this film to have a good run at the box office and hopefully lead to more sequels.

PLF and Imax accounted for 52% of sales, per the trade.

As a dedicated admirer, I’ve been pondering: Just how far could Romulus soar? Intriguingly, Prometheus, despite earning just $126M domestically, managed to amass an impressive global sum of $402.5M. This is quite fascinating considering Scott’s movies usually resonate strongly overseas. And guess what? Romulus seems to be following the same pattern, raking in a staggering $25.7M in China, which happens to be the second-best opening for a Hollywood film this year! Now, you might wonder why I’m excited – well, if Prometheus is any indication, and given its dip of -59% in its second weekend yet persisting on the big screen from June until September, there’s every reason to believe that Romulus could reach a similar domestic total.

In the least favorable situation, there could be a 71% drop in ticket sales during its second weekend, much like Alien: Covenant that ended up with $74 million domestic and $238 million global earnings. Given that Romulus was made for only $80 million, it’s likely to make a profit. However, whether this is enough to warrant a sequel remains to be seen.

As a long-time fan of the original “The Crow,” having watched it multiple times and even owning a VHS copy from my teenage years, I must admit that I am both excited and skeptical about this upcoming remake. Having grown up during the ’90s, Brandon Lee’s portrayal of Eric Draven left a lasting impression on me, and I can still vividly recall the heart-wrenching scene where he sacrifices himself to save his beloved Shelley.

Box Office Results: Domestic Top 10

1.) Alien: Romulus (20th/Dis) 3,885 theaters, Fri $18M Sat $13.5M Sun $10M 3-day $41.5M/Wk 1

2.) In 3,960 theaters, Deadpool & Wolverine’s (Dis) 3rd installment has made approximately $8.1 million on Friday, $12.5 million on Saturday, and $8.4 million on Sunday, totaling a 3-day gross of around $29 million (-46%). This brings its current domestic total to about $545.8 million in its 4th week. The Marvel Cinematic Universe title is projected to reach between $625 million and $650 million domestically, which on the lower end would place it as the 13th highest-grossing movie of all time.

3.) In Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-Nine Theaters (by Sony), the film earned $7.8 million on its first day, followed by $8.88 million on the second day and $7.2 million on the third day, summing up to a total of $24 million in the opening weekend, representing a decrease of 52%. The current total box office collection stands at $97.7 million in its second week.

4.) On its fifth week, Twister (Universal/Warner Bros) was screened in 3,483 theaters, earning $4.2 million on Sunday, $2.75 million on Monday, and a total of $9.8 million over the weekend, marking a 35% drop compared to its previous week. To date, it has grossed a total of $238.4 million.

5.) Coraline (Fath) 1,535 theaters, Fri $2.6M Sat $3.3M Sun $2.36M 3-day $8.37M, Total $11.3M/Wk 1

6.) Despicable Me 4 (Universal) was screened in 2,788 theaters on its second weekend, experiencing a drop of 221 theaters. On Friday, it earned $1.59 million, followed by $2.6 million on Saturday and $1.8 million on Sunday. The total earnings for the three-day period were approximately $6 million, marking a 25% decrease compared to its opening weekend. To date, the film has accumulated a total of $340.4 million in seven weeks.

7.) Trap (WB) 3,181 theaters, Fri $1M Sat $1.4M Sun $1M 3-day $3.43M (-48%), Total $35.2M /Wk 3

Update on Inside Out 2

9.) In its second week, Borderlands (LG) was shown in 3,125 theaters. It earned $680,000 on Friday (-83% compared to the previous day), $1 million on Saturday, and $670,000 on Sunday, resulting in a total of $2.35 million over the weekend (-72%). The cumulative box office for the film now stands at $13.5 million.

10. Stree 2 (Parth) 666 theaters, Fri $589K Sat $896K Sun $699K , 3-day $2.1M, Total $2.57M/Wk 1

2024-08-19 15:40

Box Office Results: Domestic Top 10

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