It’s an interesting time for big IP franchises, one that could fairly be called a comeback era. Marvel is set to right its Marvel Cinematic Universe with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars; DC Studios is building a whole new DC Universe franchise, and Star Wars will be getting back to big theatrical releases with Star Wars: Starfighter next year.
However, very few fans ever expected to see Alien and Predator making a big comeback in the franchise IP era – but that’s exactly what’s been happening in the 2020s. In fact, Alien and Predator are not only rebuilding their respective franchises but are also blending their two universes better than Marvel or DC.
Now, one of the films that started the wave of Alien/Predator resurgence is becoming a major hit again, thanks to its latest run, streaming on HBO Max.
Alien‘s Best New Movie Is No. 1 on HBO Max Streaming
It’s no secret that the Alien franchise peaked early with Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979) and James Cameron’s sequel, Aliens (1986). Both are regarded as classics for different reasons: Scott’s film is the prototype for sci-fi/horror nightmares in a claustrophobic setting, while Cameron’s film pioneered the blockbuster blend of sci-fi/horror and action/thriller. After that, though, Alien took a downward spiral that lasted throughout the 1990s and 2000s; the franchise couldn’t rise above half-hazard sequels (Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection) and gimmicky crossovers (Alien vs. Predator, AvP: Requiem).
The Alien franchise veered into prequels during the 2010s, as Ridley Scott released Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2016) to (sort of) explain how the xenomorph species came to be. Alien returned to a more traditional form with Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus (2024), a soft-reboot of the franchise. Now Romulus sits at No. 1 on the HBO Max streaming charts, beating out another soft-reboot blockbuster, Jurassic World Rebirth (2025).
Romulus follows a young twenty-something girl named Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny), who is desperate to escape the Weyland-Yutani mining colony world she lives on, oprhaned alongside her defective synthetic “brother” Andy (David Jonsson). Rain makes the brash decision to join her ex, Tyler (Archie Renaux) and some of his close family and friends on a brazen heist: They steal a shuttle to sneak aboard the decomissioned Weyland-Yutani research station Renaissance, which is separated into two main halves, Remus and Romulus. However, once aboard, the Rain and gang realize that something is very wrong. The station is deserted and it looks like some sort of major calamity took place. They try to use Andy’s android interface to take control of the station; instead, they inadvertently jump-start the xenomorph invasion that destroyed the station’s crew, and create a maze of death and destruction that must be navigated if they hope to esacpe.
Alien: Romulus did well at the box office, earning $350.9 million on a budget of $80 million, the second-highest earnings for the franchise, after Prometheus ($403 million). Critically, the film was also a big win, earning the highest Rotten Tomatoes score (80%) since the first two films (93% and 94%, respectively). The movie also bridged the gap between Alien and Aliens, and leaves a big windwo open for the next film(s) to explore entirely new worlds of Alien storytelling.
Is Alien: Romulus Getting A Sequel?
There has been buzz about the next Alien movie for more than a year now, but no official greenlight has been given by Disney and 20th Century Studios. What we know so far is that Álvarez will not be returning to the director’s chair, but will instead write the script the Romulus sequel. No story details have been revealed, other than a commitement from Fede that he will not do what other Alien sequels have done – i.e. killing off surviving protagonists from the previous film. Rain and David are expected to once again be main characters, while Álvarez has indicated that he has some kind of fun idea for what kind of Alien story to tell next.
For now, Alien: Romulus is airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. Discuss the Alien franchise with us on the ComicBook Forum!