“Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release was shown in 3,885 locations across the U.S. and Canada, grossing an estimated $41.5 million in its opening weekend.
“Alien: Romulus” boasted a worldwide debut of $108.2 million, including $66.7 million from international screenings in 49 markets. The Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, took the top two spots on the chart, with Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” now in its fourth weekend, coming in second with $29 million. The company accounts for an estimated 42 percent of the industry’s summer box office, with hits such as “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
August is often a slow month for the movie industry, or, more unfairly, a dumping ground. But despite the overall downturn in 2024, a string of recent hits like “The Wolverine” and “It Ends With Us” have spurred box office takings for the late August weekend more than 30% higher than the same weekend last year, and up more than 10% from August 2019.
Director Fede Alvarez is directing “Alien: Romulus,” which is set in the time period of “Alien” and “Aliens 2,” and stars a cast of up-and-coming actors in their 20s, including Cailee Spaeny, David Johnson and Isabella Merced. The sci-fi film taps into the horror roots of the series, taking advantage of Alvarez’s penchant for horror (“Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe”).
Reviews have been somewhat mixed, but mostly positive, with an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have given the film a B+ CinemaScore.
Romance drama “It Ends With Us” came in third with $24 million, down just 52% from its wildly successful opening. The Sony film, which stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni and also directed, has grossed $97.8 million so far. It cost just $25 million to make.
The film is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover and tells the story of Lily Bloom, a woman at a crossroads when her current relationship with Lyle Kincaid, played by Baldoni, is upended by a past romance.
While rumors of behind-the-scenes drama at the film continue to dominate social media discussions and tabloid headlines, “Don’t Worry Darling” also shows us that gossip and chatter don’t always translate to box office success.
“Twisters” came in fourth with $9.8 million from 3,483 theaters in its fifth weekend. The Universal release has grossed more than $238.4 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five is the re-release of Coraline, which Fathom Events screened on more than 1,500 screens to celebrate its 15th anniversary and grossed $11.3 million over four days, including $8.9 million from Friday through Sunday. The stop-motion animated film, written and directed by Henry Selick from a novel by Neil Gaiman, is Laika’s first release. It will be in theaters through August 22.
Borderlands, the video game movie starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, grossed $2.4 million in its second weekend, bringing its total box office take to a modest $13.5 million compared to its reported production budget of $120 million.
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