- The swiftest, second-ranked deployment in the "Alien" franchise's launch sequence.
After around three weeks, "Deadpool & Wolverine" lose their dominance at the North American box office. "Alien: Romulus" raked in $41.5 million during its debut weekend in the USA and Canada, knocking Ryan Reynolds (47) and Hugh Jackman (55) down to second place. The third "Deadpool" installment managed to make $29 million.
Globally, "Alien: Romulus" managed to gross $108.2 million. However, its performance in Germany was underwhelming. According to "Blickpunkt: Film", an industry magazine, it wasn't even the most profitable film of the past weekend, only making it to the fourth spot.
How "Alien: Romulus" fits into the franchise
"Alien: Romulus" is the seventh movie in the franchise that started 45 years ago. The two spin-offs "Alien vs. Predator" are not considered official parts of the series. Following the two prequels "Prometheus - Dark Signs" (2012) and "Alien: Covenant" (2017), "Romulus" returns to the main series as an interquel. Directed by Fede Alvarez (46, known for "Don't Breathe"), the film falls between the original "Alien" (1979) and the second part, "Aliens" (1986).
"Romulus" had the second-best opening weekend in "Alien" series history. The generally disliked "Prometheus" by many fans holds the top spot. Ridley Scott's (86) first prequel to his 1979 classic made $51 million twelve years ago. Its successor, "Covenant," only reached $36 million. The spin-off "Alien vs. Predator" was more successful, making $38.3 million.*
In terms of total gross, "Prometheus" sits at the top, with $126 million made in North America and $403 million worldwide. Globally, "Covenant" takes the second spot, but the first "Alien" holds this position in North America. "Alien: Resurrection," the weakest entry in the series, only made $47 million in North America back in 1997. "Alien: Romulus" has almost matched this total gross in its first week.
Starting the dream of revitalizing the "Alien" franchise, "Alien: Romulus" achieved the second-best opening weekend in the series' history, surpassing the opening weekend of "Alien: Covenant." Despite its success, the film's performance in Germany was relatively modest, leaving it behind three other films in terms of profitability.
