Alien: Covenant Opens Internationally with $42 Million Box Office

A week before it launches domestically, Alien: Covenant kicked off its theatrical run overseas this weekend, pulling in $42 million in 34 international markets. Directed by legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, Alien: Covenant serves dual purposes: it’s a sequel to 2012’s Prometheus and the first of three possible prequels to Scott’s landmark sci-fi horror thriller Alien, which kicked off the sprawling film franchise in 1979.

Like Sigourney Weaver was to the first four Alien films, Michael Fassbender is serving as the connective tissue that is holding together the prequels. Unlike the first film, Fassbender assumes dual roles in Alien: Covenant, reprising the android David from Prometheus, and playing Walter, a new and improved version of the synthetic who resembles his predecessor.

Box Office Mojo reports that Alien: Covenant’s opening weekend in 34 foreign territories included debuts in the U.K., with a box office take of $6.4 million, France ($4.53 million) and Australia ($3.9 million). The film did the biggest business, however, in South Korea with $7.2 million, earning more than 52.5 percent more than Prometheus did in its opening there in 2012; while in Hong Kong, where Alien: Covenant earned $1.76 million in its opening frame, business was up more than 17.2 percent from the opening of Prometheus.

However, business for Alien: Covenant was down in comparison to Prometheus in seven major international markets Box Office Mojo listed, including the U.K. (-38.85 percent), France (-38.4 percent), Australia (-79.4 percent), Mexico (-24.9 percent), Spain (-71.63 percent), Brazil (-52.47 percent), and Italy (-66.68 percent). Overall, Box Office Mojo says, the film opened at No. 1 in 19 of the international markets it debuted in, and will open in 52 more foreign markets this coming weekend, including Russia, Germany and Sweden.

In its domestic launch this coming weekend, Alien: Covenant will debut in 3,600 locations. So far the film appears to have some momentum going for it, with early reviews coming in positive, yet not stellar, and with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s business down 57 percent in its second weekend, Alien: Covenant, despite its R rating, will in all likelihood open at No. 1 domestically. No matter how much Alien: Covenant earns its opening weekend or ends up with at the end of its theatrical frame, Scott seems intent on making more Alien films, and says the script for the next film is written and may even film in 2018. He’s even gone so far as to say he’d like to de-age Weaver for a future Alien: Covenant sequel, obviously to connect it some way to the 1979 original.

At this point, there’s no doubting Scott’s sincerity in seeing his visions for the Alien franchise through, since clearly he had the clout to get Alien: Covenant made despite only moderate success with Prometheus domestically ($126.4 million) in 2012. Clearly the film’s success internationally ($276.8 million) provided some incentive for Fox to get on-board Alien: Covenant with Scott, and only time will tell whether this $42 million international opening will be enough to launch yet another Alien film.



[Screen Rant]