“Alien: Romulus” grossed $108.2 million in its worldwide debut, including $66.7 million from 49 countries around the world.
Disney, the latest in a series of sci-fi horror films, said its overseas ticket sales are ahead of “A Quiet Place: Day One” by 47% and “Prometheus” by 17% in comparable markets at current exchange rates. That’s a promising trajectory because Paramount’s horror prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” grossed $122 million internationally while “Prometheus” ended its international run with $276 million.
At the domestic box office, “Alien: Romulus” took in $41.5 million in its opening weekend, marking the second-highest start for the supernatural franchise behind “Prometheus” ($51 million). Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film had its best opening in China with $25.7 million — the second-biggest debut this year for a Hollywood film in the country. Since the pandemic, Chinese audiences have largely ignored most Hollywood films, but “Alien: Romulus” appears to be connecting with moviegoers. Other top-grossing territories include Korea ($5.4 million), the U.K. ($4.8 million) and France ($3.8 million).
Directed by Fede Alvarez (Don't Breathe), “Alien: Romulus” is the seventh installment in a series that began 45 years ago with Ridley Scott's 1979 adventure “Alien.” The $80 million film centers on young intergalactic colonists (including Cailee Spaeny, David Johnson, Archie Reno and Isabela Merced) who come face-to-face with a terrifying life form while searching an abandoned space station.
“A big part of Alien’s success was overseas,” says David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Romulus will follow the same pattern, but we also expect the foreign numbers to be somewhat skewed” because many “horror films are doing less business overseas since the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, “It Ends With Us,” starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has been a huge success. Over the weekend, the film took in $33.1 million at the international box office, bringing its overseas total to $82.2 million. Thanks to those ticket sales, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s literary novel has surpassed $180 million worldwide after just 10 days in theaters. Sony Pictures and Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios co-financed the film for $25 million, resulting in enviable margins.
Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” has grossed $32.9 million from 52 overseas markets and $61.9 million worldwide. After four weeks in theaters, the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman-starring film has grossed $596.8 million internationally and $545.8 million in North America so far. Earlier this week, “Deadpool & Wolverine” surpassed “Joker” to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, with $1.14 billion worldwide.
