HBO Max may be owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, but one of its most popular movies right now is from the House of Mouse. Alien vs. Predator, the ambitious 2004 sci-fi crossover, has broken into the streamer’s Top 10.
According to FlixPatrol, Alien vs. Predator has debuted in the No. 10 spot on HBO Max’s Top 10 Movies chart in the United States. It’s the only true sci-fi movie on the list, as the rest of the Top 10 is populated with films like the action-packed Ballerina (No. 1) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (No. 2) and the fantasy epics Dune (No. 5) and Dune: Part Two (No. 4).
With Easter right around the corner, Hop, the 2011 comedy film starring James Marsden and Russell Brand, is in the No. 3 spot, while Brendan Fraser’s 1999 adventure classic, The Mummy, is at No. 6. The final three movies on the Top 10 are The 40 Year Old Virgin at No. 7, The Amazing Spider-Man at No. 8, and Spider-Man at No. 9.
AVP Brought 20th Century Studios’ 2 Major Sci-Fi Franchises Together
Alien vs. Predator was released in 2004, 14 years after Predator 2 hinted at the two sci-fi franchises existing in the same shared universe by featuring the skull of a Xenomorph in a trophy case aboard the Predator ship. Paul W. S. Anderson wrote and directed Alien vs. Predator. He is best known for his work on the original Resident Evil film series.
In Alien vs. Predator, scientists are caught in the crossfire of an ancient battle between Aliens and Predators as they attempt to escape a bygone Antarctic pyramid. Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, and Tommy Flanagan star in the crossover movie.
Alien vs. Predator was not as well-received by critics as previous entries in their respective franchises, with Rotten Tomatoes noting an approval rating of just 21%. The review aggregator website’s consensus for the movie calls it “gore without scares,” going on to state that “cardboard cut-out characters make this clash of the monsters a dull sit.”
However, bad reviews weren’t enough to stop audiences from coming out to see the crossover in theaters. The movie managed to gross $177 million at the worldwide box office off a budget of $70 million, leading to a sequel in 2007 titled Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Like its predecessor, Requiem received negative reviews but made over $130 million globally.
A New Alien vs. Predator May Be on the Way
The xenomorph confronts the Predator in Alien vs. Predator: RequiemImage via 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection
The Alien vs. Predator movies sort of killed general interest in both franchises for over a decade, with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus being the only notable box office hit. However, following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Studios in 2019, both franchises have experienced a resurgence in popularity, thanks to new installments directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, Predator: Badlands, Predator: Killer of Killers) and Fede Álvarez (Alien: Romulus).
With both franchises arguably more popular than ever before, a new Alien vs. Predator movie has been teased by 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell. While nothing has been officially confirmed beyond that, Alvarez suggested in 2024 that a new AVP movie should be co-directed by him and Trachtenberg.
Alien vs. Predator is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Release Date
August 13, 2004
Runtime
100 minutes
Director
Paul W. S. Anderson
Lance Henriksen
Charles Bishop Weyland