Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus made a powerful debut at the box office this weekend, reinvigorating the iconic franchise with a strong $41.5 million domestic opening. The 20th Century Studios and Disney film significantly outpaced expectations, which had projected a debut in the high $20 million range. This marks the second-best opening for the Alien franchise, unadjusted for inflation, and the film that finally dethroned Deadpool & Wolverine from the top spot.
The success of Romulus extends beyond nostalgic fans of the original films, drawing in younger male audiences and contributing to Disney’s commanding 42% share of summer box office revenue. The film boasts an 82% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid B+ CinemaScore, near the top of the franchise’s history.
Internationally, Romulus exceeded expectations with a $66.7 million opening, bringing its global total to $108.2 million. The R-rated film, set between Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens, follows a group of young colonists who encounter the titular alien creature on a derelict space station. The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn, with Ridley Scott serving as producer. Originally slated for a streaming release on Hulu, the film was shifted to a theatrical release at the start of principal photography.
Meanwhile, Deadpool & Wolverine slipped to second place after three weekends at No. 1. The Marvel and Disney film, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has broken numerous records and now holds the title of the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time at the global box office, with $1.142 billion in worldwide earnings.
Sony and Wayfarer Studios’ adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends With Us secured third place in its second weekend, earning $24 million and bringing its domestic total close to $100 million. The film, starring Blake Lively, has seen strong repeat business despite a social media controversy involving Lively and co-star/director Justin Baldoni.
In fourth place, Amblin Entertainment and Universal’s Twisters earned $9.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $238.4 million and $333.4 million globally, even as it becomes available on premium VOD.
Finally, the 15th-anniversary re-release of Focus Features’ stop-motion classic Coraline, handled by Fathom Events, broke records with an $8.9 million weekend, making it the highest-grossing Fathom Classics title ever.
Overall, the weekend domestic box office revenue totaled around $139 million, a 37% increase over the same period in 2023 and a 14% rise over 2019. The summer box office has rebounded from a sluggish start, reducing the year-to-date revenue deficit from 28% to 15%.
Disney’s Inside Out 2 remains the summer’s biggest hit, with a global tally of $1.626 billion, setting the record for the highest-grossing animated film both domestically and internationally.