Alien Romulus Takes Off With $108m Global Box Office Debut

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Worldwide box office August 16-18

‘Alien: Romulus’ continues Disney hot streak

Alien: Romulus, from Disney’s 20th Century Studios, has begun with an estimated $41.5m in North America and $66.7m from 49 international markets, combining to give a $108.2m global opening, ahead of expectations.

The international number is boosted by an estimated $25.7m in China, the second-highest non-local opening of 2024 in the territory, and topping China’s weekend box office ahead of rival new releases: Japanese anime Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram, and Marc Ma action crime thriller Go For Broke (see chart).

Globally, Alien: Romulus is boosted by a strong performance on Imax (18% of total box office) and other premium large formats (33% of total box office). In North America, the gender split was 70% male, 30% female.

Disney estimates that Romulus has opened 17% ahead of 2012 prequel Prometheus in like-for-like international markets. Prometheus began with $51.1m in North America, so Romulus has not matched the pace so far in the domestic market.

Disney did not offer box office comparisons with Alien: Covenant – the 2017 sequel to Prometheus – but that film grossed just $240.9m worldwide over the course of its lifetime, so Romulus should exceed it.

Thanks to China, Asia leads among international regions with an estimated $38.6m, also boosted by a strong performance in South Korea ($5.4m – the second-biggest international territory).

Europe is the second-biggest international region with an estimated $22.1m, led by UK/Ireland ($4.8m) and France ($3.8m).

Latin America trails Asia and Europe with an estimated $6.0m, but Romulus debuted bigger than both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant in most Latin American territories, including the biggest ones, Mexico and Brazil.

Uruguay’s Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe) directs Alien: Romulus, which sees events occurring after Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) and before James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). The Alien franchise consists of those two films and two further sequels (in 1992 and 1997), the two more-recent prequels (Prometheus and Covenant), and now Romulus. There are also two Alien vs Predator films.

Disney will be hoping Romulus – with a production budget reported at $80m – can exceed the total box office of Alien: Covenant, but the film will need a strong sustain to match the lifetime total of Prometheus ($403.4m), which leads the franchise at the global box office.

Alien Resurrection, the last entry in the original quartet of Alien films, reached $161.4m worldwide in 1997, while Alien3 managed $159.8m worldwide in 1992. All numbers are as originally reported, and unadjusted for inflation.

‘It Ends With Us’ powered by strong international holds and new openings

Following a first weekend which saw Columbia Pictures/Wayfarer Studios’ It Ends With Us open with $50.0m in North America and $30.0m in 41 international markets, a bigger international footprint sees foreign markets lead in the second session.

Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 romance novel, It Ends With Us grossed an estimated $24.0m in North America at the weekend, down 52%, and an estimated $33.1m in 52 international markets. The drop in international holdover markets was a slim 18%.

Among the 11 new openings for the Sony film, Germany leads with an estimated $4.5m – which represents strong multiples of debut numbers for the likes of The Fault In Our Stars (x2.7), The Girl On The Train (x3.0) and Where The Crawdads Sing (x4.4).

France began with an estimated $2.1m, more than triple Where The Crawdads Sing.

Among international holdover markets, UK leads with an estimated $3.7m, taking the total there to $14.6m. Mexico rose 22% with an estimated $3.3m, and a total to date of $7.6m. Australia added $3.0m, down 26%, and has now reached $9.3m.

It Ends With Us has already overtaken the worldwide lifetime totals of both 2022’s Where The Crawdads Sing ($144.4m) and 2016’s The Girl On The Train ($173.2m), and looks well on course to match the $307.2m achieved by 2014’s The Fault In Our Stars. (These comparisons are not adjusted for inflation.)

With a production budget reported at $25m, It Ends With Us will already have achieved profitability, even taking account of marketing costs and revenue splits with cinemas.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is biggest R-rated film worldwide

Last Friday saw Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine overtake Joker to become the biggest R-rated film of all time at the global box office. The weekend saw the film add an estimated $61.9m worldwide, pushing the total to $1.14bn – which compares with $1.08bn for Warner Bros’ Joker.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now the ninth-biggest MCU film of all time, having recently overtaken Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home (both $1.13bn).

Disney has released the two biggest films of 2024 to date: Inside Out 2 ($1.63bn worldwide) and Deadpool & Wolverine. Inside Out 2 remains the 10th-biggest film of all time at the worldwide box office, and needs to add another $37m to catch ninth-placed The Lion King ($1.66bn, 2019).

‘Coraline’ rerelease launches with $18.1m

Updated: Laika animation Coraline is the latest archive title to register with cinema audiences thanks to an anniversary rerelease. The 15th anniversary reissue landed in North America last Thursday (August 15) courtesy of Fathom Events, grossing a confirmed $12.5m for the first four days. Trafalgar released last Thursday in 32 international markets, achieving $7.6m. Those numbers combine to deliver a confirmed $20.2m total.

Coraline was originally released by Focus Features in North America, grossing $93.7m, and by Universal in international markets, delivering $49.3m. The $18.8m for the anniversary rerelease represents a powerful 13% uplift on the $143.1m original worldwide total.

Conclusion

The worldwide box office has seen significant changes in the past week, with Disney’s Alien: Romulus and Sony’s It Ends With Us both performing strongly. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine has cemented its position as the biggest R-rated film of all time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the current ranking of the top 10 films at the global box office?
A: The current ranking is:

1. Alien: Romulus (Disney) – $108.2m
2. Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney) – $1.14bn
3. It Ends With Us (Sony) – $179.9m
4. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) – $847.3m
5. Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram (various) – $131.6m
6. Inside Out 2 (Disney) – $1.6bn
7. Coraline (Trafalgar) – $18.8m
8. Twisters (Warner Bros) – $333.4m
9. Go For Broke (various) – $13.9m
10. White Snake: Afloat (various) – $41.2m

Q: What is the production budget for Alien: Romulus?
A: The production budget for Alien: Romulus is reported to be $80m.

Q: What is the total box office for It Ends With Us?
A: The total box office for It Ends With Us is currently estimated to be $179.9m.

Q: What is the ranking of Deadpool & Wolverine among MCU films?
A: Deadpool & Wolverine is currently the ninth-biggest MCU film of all time, having recently overtaken Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home (both $1.13bn).