Before Alien: Romulus was shifted to a theatrical release, the plan was to go the Prey route and premiere the film exclusively on streaming. Whoever was responsible for making the call to opt for a more traditional release must be sitting pretty– thus far, Alien: Romulus has grossed $350 million at the worldwide box office. For comparison’s sake, Alien: Covenant wrapped its run with just over $240 million back in 2017 (and its budget was higher than Romulus’). That makes Alien: Romulus the highest-grossing horror movie of the year. No small feat for a franchise entry that dates back to 1979. The success doesn’t end there, however. After the film’s arrival on Hulu, it expectedly topped the charts. Check out more about Alien: Romulus below:
Per Hulu: Young space colonizers come face-to-face with the ultimate horror.
It might surprise Fede Alvarez fans to hear that Alien: Romulus is pretty tame compared to the director’s wider body of work. There is no Evil Dead super gore, no Don’t Breathe nihilism. That isn’t to say Alien: Romulus doesn’t go to some gnarly places, but Romulus is considerably more multiplex-friendly than fans might be expecting. That accessibility no doubt accounts, at least in part, for why Alien: Romulus has been such a sensation on Hulu. Never bet against horror.
When accounting for the year as a whole, too, audiences could do a lot worse than Romulus. It’s no Prey—and, really, nothing is—but it’s a serviceable expansion of the Alien mythos that is appropriately scaled-up for today’s blockbuster sensibilities. In our review of the film earlier this year, we wrote, “Alien: Romulus isn’t perfect, but it is ultimately a gorgeous and slimy experience that’ll have audiences squirming in their seats. While the film’s over-encumbered script often feels like a struggle between Alvarez’s brand of gnarly horror and the studio’s desire for fan service, Alvarez’s eye for crafting tension keeps the film exciting and, most importantly, scary.”
That fan service is probably the film’s greatest sins. Alvarez’s original ideas are among the best moments of the film, though Romulus too regularly dips into the shallow end of the franchise filmmaking pool, pulling out easter eggs and homages to other Alien films rather than trying to be its own thing. I’ve written about the most egregious of these homages, though wider audiences don’t seem to mind nearly as much. Check out some choice online reactions below:
Regardless of the film itself, the production design of ALIEN: ROMULUS is honestly incredible. Álvarez economically stretches his budget, making a near-perfect blend of analog (docking scenes, animatronics, huge sets!) and gorgeous VFX filmmaking. it’s how this should be done imo pic.twitter.com/mkkp3D1CiL
— Brendan Hodges (@metaplexmovies) August 16, 2024
alien romulus is good but the whole premise is what if the 5 stupidest people you’ve ever met went to space
— kayla (@DrKaylaGarrett) September 2, 2024
last night i watched alien romulus on hulu and it was so fucking good i’m so mad at myself for not seeing it in theaters ?
— ? o L i V i A r O s E ? (@oliiviiaroseee) December 3, 2024
Alien Romulus does justice to Alien movies. Highly recommend it. It’s on Hulu. #AlienRomulus #Hulu
— Mir (@mirsblog) December 1, 2024
I watched Alien: Romulus on Hulu, and I think it’s really good. It has some pretty strong moments, but I feel like it should have leaned more into the horror elements of it.
— Matt Albrecht (@MattAlbrecht10) November 28, 2024
What do you think? Were you a fan of Alien: Romulus? Where does it rank in the franchise for you? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins, and while you’re there, let me know what else I should be checking out on Hulu.
Categorized:News
