Disney/20th Century’s “Alien: Romulus” is off to a good start at the box office, winning over longtime fans and earning an industry estimated $41 million opening weekend from 3,885 theaters after an $18 million opening day.
Set between the original “Alien” and its 1986 sequel “Aliens,” Fede Alvarez’s “Romulus” is getting positive reception from critics and audiences alike, earning Rotten Tomatoes scores of 81% and 87% from those respective groups while earning a B+ on CinemaScore. That’s a solid grade for a gory R-rated horror film that could give it a chance to leg out against its $80 million budget before marketing costs.
“Romulus” is also topping the opening weekend performance of its predecessor, “Alien: Covenant,” which was directed by Ridley Scott and was the final release of the series from 20th Century Fox prior to Disney’s 2019 acquisition of the studio. That film opened to $36.1 million before inflation adjustment and earned a B on CinemaScore.
Disney’s other R-rated offering, Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine,” is now the highest grossing film ever with that rating, passing “Joker” as it earns an estimated $28 million in its fourth weekend to bring its domestic total to $545 million, standing among the top 20 highest grossing films ever in North America.
In its second weekend, Sony/Wayfarer’s “It Ends With Us” is holding very well, earning an estimated $24 million that represents a 52% drop from its $50 million opening weekend. While the film faced criticism from some fans for its marketing over the past few days, women are continuing to turn out for this drama about breaking the cycle of domestic abuse, as it is estimated for a $97 million 10-day total.
Finally, Fathom Events’ has brought back Henry Selick and Laika Animation’s stop-motion classic “Coraline” for a 15th anniversary re-release. The film became Fathom’s highest grossing re-release last year with just over $7 million over a four-day limited engagement, and industry estimates have this year’s engagement topping that with a $11.6 million Thurs.-Sun. total.
