“Alien: Romulus” defies the streaming trend and is a big box office hit

The latest film in the sci-fi horror franchise Alien, titled Alien: Romulus, had a hugely successful first day in theaters. The film grossed $18 million on its opening Friday and is expected to bring in an estimated $40 million in its opening weekend. This is a strong performance considering the film was originally slated to be released directly to the Hulu streaming service.

Director Fede Álvarez explained in an interview with Variety magazine that the decision to release the film via streaming was made when theaters were still struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “At that point, things weren't going well in theaters,” Álvarez said. He pushed for a theatrical release when attendance began to rise. His crew supported the change, and Álvarez recalled that the announcement of a theatrical release led to loud cheers.

In contrast, another 2022 sci-fi horror film called Prey, which is set in the Predator series, went straight to Hulu despite positive reviews.