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Let’s See How ‘Alien: Covenant’ Did at the Box Office This Weekend

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Ridley Scott's ALIEN: COVENANT via Twentieth Century Fox

After an estimated 80% drop on Friday, we now have full estimates for the entire holiday weekend (including Monday).

Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus, which has the “DNA of Alien,” did okay at the box office, although it’s quite possible it even lost some before its home video release. With a production budget of $130 million and an assumed marketing spend of at least $100 million, the $400 million worldwide GROSS put it a bit under the profit territory.

So, with the sequel, Scott trimmed the budget by $30 million and added “Alien” back to the title. Using brand recognition and cutting down on the budget would flip the Prometheus numbers around, right? Unfortunately, no. That 80% was cataclysmic for a film that was already scraping by after underperforming opening weekend, failing to hit the $40 million projections.

As I wrote this past weekend, Twentieth Century Fox’s Alien: Covenant was burned by Baywatch and sunk by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. In fact, the Friday estimates were so bad that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 beat out Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel/Alien prequel.

The full holiday weekend wasn’t any better, with Alien: Covenant landing in the fourth spot and a total of $60 million. To put it in perspective, at the same point of its release Prometheus was at $89 million. Covenant‘s domestic run could end at $70 million. Based on a typical Hollywood release, Covenant will need to make $400 million worldwide to break even. As of this writing, it’s at $160 million. No matter what’s being reported, this is brutal.

Does it put the franchise in jeopardy? Maybe? Obviously not knowing the inner workings at Fox or the actual home video numbers for Prometheus, it’s hard to gauge, but there’s no way Covenant can be pegged as anything but a disappointment. Could Scott trim the budget again for the tentatively titled Alien: Awakening? Sure. Could the impact of releasing a franchise film make Fox a ton of money on their previous releases? Sure. There’s a lot of reasons for making another, it’s just feeling slightly out of reach at the moment.

To make matters worse, while this article reads as if I’m poo-pooing the release, I’m actually a huge fan of Prometheus and quite liked Alien: Covenant, so this is personally a huge blow. I’m praying that the release in China is an explosive as it’s been for other sci-fi genre films, especially Terminator Genysis. There’s still hope.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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