Alien: Romulushas passed a major global box office milestone that only one other movie in the franchise has passed so far. The new 2024 release, which was directed by Fede Álvarez and stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and Archie Renaux, is the ninth installment in the franchise and takes place between the original 1979 classicAlienand its 1986 sequelAliens. TheAlien: Romulusbox officestarted off strong with a $42 million opening weekend, quickly rising to become the second highest-grossing movie in the sci-fi horror series.
PerThe Numbers, as of Sunday morning,Alien: Romulusis projected to have earned a cumulative worldwide box office gross of $314.4 millionby the end of its fourth weekend in theaters. This makes it the secondAlienmovie to ever pass the $300 million milestone, afterPrometheusdid so during its original theatrical run in 2012. It is only the tenth 2024 release to pass this milestone, with the most recent beforehand being the record-smashing Marvel Cinematic Universe hitDeadpool & Wolverine.
What This Milestone Means For Alien: Romulus
Romulus Has Consistently Fallen Behind Prometheus
By passing the $300 million milestone,Alien: Romulushas drawn even closer toPrometheus' recordas the highest-grossing installment in the franchise. The 2012 prequel legged out to a worldwide gross of $403.3 million, which means that the new movie still has to make an additional $88.9 million in order to surpass it and take the No. 1 slot. It remains to be seen if that is possible. Below, see how the movie’s status compares with the entire roster ofAlienmoviesoverall:
$184.7 million
$183.3 million
$159.8 million
$161.4 million
$177.4 million
$130.3 million
$403.3 million
$240.9 million
Alien: Romulus(2024)
$314.4 million (and counting)
Ultimately, it seemslikely that the new movie will remain at No. 2 behindPrometheus. TheAlien: Romulusreleasehas trailed consistently behind the 2012 title, a habit that kicked off when it earned the second-best opening weekend of the franchise. This has continued with its fourth weekend, which is projected to bring in $3.9 million domestically, compared toPrometheus' $4.9 million in its own fourth weekend. This shows that the gap is not closing between the two movies, which will likely preventRomulusfrom passing the $400 million milestone.
Our Take On Alien: Romulus' Box Office Milestone
The New Movie Is Still A Solid Success
WhileAlien: Romulusprobably will not become the highest-grossing movie in the franchise,it is nevertheless a major hit. This leaves theAlienmovies in a unique position, as a sequel could complicate the franchise somewhat. TheupcomingAlien: Earthwill be bringing the universe to the small screen for the first time in 2025, so rushing aRomulussequel into production could oversaturate the market, especially if further seasons are greenlit. However, a sequel seems more than likely in the face of this stellar box office, so an ongoing interconnected multimedia universe may be what is next.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
