“Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, debuted at number one at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release grossed an estimated $41.5 million in its first weekend, playing in 3,885 locations in the United States and Canada.
Including $66.7 million from international screenings in 49 markets, “Alien: Romulus” boasts a global debut of $108.2 million. Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, took the top two spots on the chart, with Marvel “Deadpool and Wolverine” is now in its fourth week, taking second place with $29 million. The company was responsible for about 42 percent of the industry’s summer box office, including hits like “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
August can typically be a slow month for the movie business, or, less kindly, a dumpster fire. But while 2024 has been a slow month overall for the movie business, a string of recent hits including “Deadpool & Wolverine” and ” It ends with us ” helped create momentum that pushed this August holiday season up more than 30% year-over-year. It was also up more than 10% compared to August 2019.
“The summer started off pretty sluggish, but it’s really picking up,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “We thought we were going to blow through August, but now we’re going strong in August, leading to a much better overall box office number than we expected.”
Fede Álvarez directed “Aliens: Romulus, ” is set in the time of “Alien” and “Aliens,” and casts a promising young cast in their early 20s, including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and Isabela Merced. The sci-fi film taps into Álvarez’s penchant for all things horror, as he’s known for “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe,” and embraces the series’ horror roots.
Reviews were mixed, but mostly positive, with an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave the film a B+ on CinemaScore.
Romantic drama “ It ends with us ” landed in third place with $24 million, down just 52% from opening victory. The Sony The film, which stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, has grossed $97.8 million to date. It cost just $25 million to produce.
The film, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel of the same name, stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman at a crossroads when a past love turns her current relationship with Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni, upside down.
Rumors about behind-the-scenes footage from the film also continue to dominate social media discussions and tabloid headlines — but “Don’t Worry Darling” also teaches us that rumors and gossip don’t always translate to box office revenue.
“Twisters” ranked fourth in its fifth weekend with $9.8 million from 3,483 theaters. Universal Upon release, it grossed over $238.4 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five is a re-release: “Coraline,” which Fathom Events brought to more than 1,500 screens for its 15th anniversary, where it earned $11.3 million over four days and $8.6 million from Friday to Sunday. The stop-motion animated film, an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman short story and written and directed by Henry Selick, marks Laika’s first theatrical release. It will be 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 box office total to $13.5 million against a reported $120 million budget.
Estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at theaters in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released 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. “Street 2,” $2.2 million.
