“Alien: Romulus”, the latest installment in the 45-year franchise, opened at number one at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release earned an estimated $41.5 million in its first weekend, where it played 3,885 locations in the US and Canada.
Including $66.7 million in international screenings in 49 markets, “Alien: Romulus” had a worldwide debut of $108.2 million. The Walt Disney Co., owner of 20th Century Studios, claimed the top two spots on the charts, with Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine‘now in its fourth weekend and second with $29 million. The company is responsible for an estimated 42% of the industry’s summer box office grosses, including the hits “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
August can often be slow for the film industry, or, less charitably, a dumping ground. But while 2024 is lagging behind for the film industry overall, a string of recent hits including ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and ‘ It ends with us ” helped build momentum that put this late August weekend more than 30% ahead of the same weekend last year. It is also up more than 10% from August 2019.
“The summer started off pretty bleak, but it’s ending very strong,” said Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “We thought we would get through to August, but now we are heading towards a much better summer number in August than we expected for the box office.”
Fede Álvarez directed “Alien: Romulus, ‘ is set around the time of ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’ and recruited a cast of rising twenty-somethings to lead the cast, including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Isabela Merced. The sci-fi film taps into Álvarez’s penchant for all things horror, as he is known for “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe,” and embraces the franchise’s horror roots.
Reviews were a bit mixed, but mostly positive, with an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore.
The romantic drama “ It ends with us ‘ landed in third place with $24 million, just 52% lower than its value triumphant opening. The Sony film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, has grossed $97.8 million to date. It cost only $25 million to produce.
The film is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestseller of the same name, which follows Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman at a crossroads when a past love turns her current relationship with Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid upside down.
Rumors of behind-the-scenes drama in the film also continue to dominate social media discourse and headlines, but ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ also taught us that gossip and banter don’t always translate into box office returns.
“Twisters” placed fourth in its fifth weekend with $9.8 million from 3,483 theaters. The Universal release grossed over $238.4 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five was a re-release: “Coraline,” which Fathom Events screened on more than 1,500 screens for its 15th anniversary, where it earned $11.3 million in four days and $8.6 million from Friday to Sunday . The stop-motion animated film was an adaptation of a novella by Neil Gaiman, written and directed by Henry Selick and marked the first-ever release for Laika. The film is in theaters until August 22.
“Borderlands,” the video game adaptation starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, grossed $2.4 million in its second weekend, bringing its total box office revenue to $13.5 million, compared to the reported budget of $120 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. The final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.
1. ‘Alien: Romulus’, $41.5 million.
2. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $29 million.
3. “It Ends with Us,” $24 million.
4. “Twisters,” $9.8 million.
5. “Coraline,” $8.6 million.
6. “Despicable Me 4,” $6 million.
7. “Trap,” $3.4 million.
8. “Inside Out 2,” $3.2 million.
9. “Borderlands,” $2.4 million.
10. ‘Stree 2’, $2.2 million.