Studio didn't want to release this tiny film with no stars, director fought for it; earned more than RRR, Jawan combined
This film had no stars and the studio was not keen to release it in theatres, but it did eventually and broke box office records
The ill-fated Batgirl film is an example of how cut-throat studios have become in today’s times. Warner Bros felt that releasing the film would not get them as much money as cancelling it would (in tax write-offs). Hence, the film was jinked. Disney had similar ideas for another film recently, though not as brutal. When an Alien spinoff was announced, the studio wanted to release it directly online, on Hulu. However, better sense prevailed and the film was released in theatres. The end result was magic at the box office.
Why Disney did not want to release Alien Romulus in theatres
Alien: Romulus was announced in 2022 after director Fede Álvarez pitched the studio an original story that he called ‘unconnected’ to the previous six Alien films. While the film was not standalone and it did reference events of the previous Alien films, it had no common characters or crossovers. Romulus starred Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn. None of these actors are big stars and hence, the studio was not convinced of the box office appeal of the film. The initial plans for the film were to have a streaming only release on the OTT platform Hulu.
How director Fede Álvarez fought for Alien Romulus
Romulus is darker and grittier than some of the previous Alien films. The ending, in particular, has a disturbing scene that many Disney executives were against. The director, in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, said that the executives felt the scene was too much. Eventually, he fought the studio and his choice prevailed. The studio came around for a theatrical release after much to-and-fro. Alien Romulus released in theatres on August 16.
Alien Romulus’ box office charge
Romulus, made on a $80 million budget, is one of the ‘cheaper’ sci-fi films from a major Hollywood studio. But that did not stop it from being a success. Romulus earned a staggering $331 million (Rs 2765 crore) worldwide at the box office. To put this in context, this figure is more than the combined earning of two of the biggest Indian hits – RRR ($156 million) and Jawan ($138 million), which combined to earn $294 million.
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