‘Alien: Romulus’ Passes $100 Million at Global Box Office — and Outsells ‘Deadpool’ in the U.S.

The ninth film in the iconic “Alien” franchise, titled “Alien: Romulus,” had an impressive debut at the box office, grossing $41.5 million in its opening weekend in U.S. theaters. That tally represents the second-best domestic debut in the series, behind only 2012’s “Prometheus.” Globally, “Romulus” has amassed an impressive $108 million, driven largely by ticket sales in China, where it grossed $25.7 million, making it the second-best opening for a Hollywood film in the country in 2024.

In U.S. theaters, “Alien: Romulus” grossed $18 million on Friday and previews alone, surpassing initial projections of $40 million for the weekend. The performance marks the third significant opening of the summer for Disney, which distributes the film. The success of “Romulus” also knocked “Deadpool & Wolverine” off the top spot in U.S. ticket sales, a position the superhero film had held for four consecutive weeks. Still, “Deadpool & Wolverine” still secured a solid second place with $29 million.

Other highlights of the weekend included “It Ends With Us,” which grossed $24 million to take third place at the domestic box office. The film, which has been dogged by controversy surrounding its cast and star Blake Lively, had grossed $50 million in its opening weekend. “Twisters” came in fourth with $9.8 million, while the re-release of the animated classic “Coraline” took in $8.9 million to round out the top five.

The success of “Alien: Romulus” reinforces the continued strength of the “Alien” franchise, which has grossed more than $1.3 billion at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Additionally, “Deadpool & Wolverine” achieved a historic milestone by becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, surpassing 2018’s “Joker” with a total gross of $1.14 billion.

While “Alien: Romulus” is celebrating its success, “It Ends With Us” is dealing with the repercussions of a turbulent week. The film fell to third place at the box office after reports of cast tensions and criticism of the way Blake Lively, one of the film’s stars, promoted the project. Based on the best-selling book by Colleen Hoover, the film tackles sensitive topics such as domestic violence and abuse, and Lively has come under fire for allegedly not taking those topics seriously while promoting the film.

These numbers and events highlight a busy weekend at the box office, where films across a range of genres competed intensely for the attention of global audiences.

With information from Forbes