Romulus Ends ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s’ 3-Week Box Office Reign with $41.5M Debut

“Alien: Romulus” burst into the domestic box office with an impressive $41.5 million, achieving the second-highest opening in the history of the “Alien” franchise. This was enough to end the three-week dominance of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which recently surpassed “Joker” as the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, with earnings of $1.14 billion.

These box office successes are the culmination of a remarkable summer for Disney. The streak began with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which became May’s top-grossing film with $397 million. Following in June, “Inside Out 2” amassed a staggering $1.597 billion, becoming that month’s highest earner. July saw “Deadpool & Wolverine” rake in $1.03 billion. In early August, Disney became the first studio in 2024 to surpass $3 billion in global ticket sales. The studio is expected to maintain this momentum with upcoming releases like “Moana 2” on November 27 and “Mufasa: The Lion King” on December 20. This marks a significant turnaround after several commercial disappointments in 2023, including “The Marvels,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” and “The Haunted Mansion” remake.

Internationally, “Alien: Romulus” earned $66.7 million, bringing its global total to $108.2 million. The film has been well-received, holding an 82% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earning a “B+” grade from audiences on CinemaScore. This positive reception bodes well for its continued performance in theaters.

“This is an excellent opening for a […] film this deep into its series,” says David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. He noted that the original 1979 film elevated the quality of creature filmmaking and that the story’s lasting appeal is impressive business even 45 years later.

Directed by Fede Alvarez, known for “Don’t Breathe,” “Alien: Romulus” is the seventh installment in the storied franchise that began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 original. The film follows a group of young intergalactic colonists who encounter a terrifying life form while exploring a dilapidated space station. The movie’s $80 million budget is justified by its strong initial ticket sales, which outpaced 2017’s “Alien: Covenant” but fell short of 2012’s “Prometheus.”

“Alien: Romulus” stood alone as the weekend’s sole new nationwide release after Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2” was pulled from the release calendar. The first chapter, which cost $100 million, struggled in June with a global total of just $32 million, leading to the decision to delay the sequel.

In a close race for second place, “Deadpool & Wolverine” edged out Sony’s romantic drama “It Ends With Us.” The superhero film, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, added $29 million in its fourth weekend, a 46% drop from the previous week. To date, it has grossed $545.8 million in North America and $596.8 million internationally.

“It Ends With Us,” starring Blake Lively and directed by Justin Baldoni, earned another $24 million from 3,739 theaters in its second weekend, a 52% drop from its $50 million debut. The film is nearing the $100 million mark domestically with $97.7 million so far.

Universal’s disaster epic “Twisters” landed in fourth place with $9.8 million from 3,483 locations in its fifth weekend. Despite its availability on premium video-on-demand, ticket sales remained robust. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos, “Twisters” has grossed $238.4 million in North America and $333.4 million worldwide.

A re-release of the beloved stop-motion animation film “Coraline” marked its 15th anniversary by earning $8.9 million from 1,535 venues, rounding out the top five. The film has grossed roughly $11.3 million since its return to theaters on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s video game adaptation “Borderlands” continued to struggle. In its second weekend, the film, starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Ariana Greenblatt, fell to ninth place with $2.35 million from 3,125 theaters. With a production cost of $115 million, “Borderlands” has grossed only $13 million in North America, making it one of the biggest box office disappointments of the year.

Source: Various Sources