Disney/20th Century Studios' Alien: Romulus had an even stronger opening weekend than expected at the box office both domestically and overseas, and has knocked Marvel Studios' Deadpool and Wolverine off the top spot.
The Fede Alvarez-directed sci-fi horror flick took in $45.1 million (well ahead of a projected high-$20 million debut) in North America to give it the second-best opening of the franchise, not adjusted for inflation. Internationally, Romulus opened to $66.7 million for a worldwide start of $108.2 million.
This is a great start for the movie, which was originally slated to go direct to streaming on the Disney-owned Hulu before the (wise) decision was made to shift to theatrical at the start of principal photography.
Deadpool and Wolverine drops to No. 2 after dominating the box office for three consecutive weekends, and recently passing Joker's lifetime haul to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
After taking in $545.9 million domestically and $596.8 million overseas, the first ever R-rated MCU movie now sits at a worldwide total of $1.142 billion, making it the No. 9 MCU movie of all time.
Sony and Wayfarer Studios’ adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s best-selling novel It Ends With Us starring Blake Lively claimed the No. 3 spot. Its domestic total is now closing in on $100 million through Sunday.
"Not a perfect organism, but despite an overreliance on retreading over old ground, Alien: Romulus does mark a thrilling return to form, and is surely destined to be ranked as the third-best Alien movie," we said in our review of Alien: Romulus.
"The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (Don’t Breathe 2) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.
Alien: Romulus is produced by Ridley Scott (Napoleon), who directed the original Alien and produced and directed the series’ entries Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Michael Pruss (Boston Strangler), and Walter Hill (Alien), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (Charlie’s Angels), Brent O’Connor (Bullet Train), and Tom Moran (Unstoppable) serving as executive producers.