Despite being made at a modest budget of $80 million, the recently released sci-fi horror film Alien: Romulus seemed to have impressed many fans and critics alike. The Fede Álvarez-directorial is a standalone story in the Aliens franchise and stars Cailee Spaeny in the lead role.
The box office and critical success of low-budget genre films such as Alien: Romulus, The Creator, Godzilla Minus One, and more have led fans to question why big-budget superhero films have been failing at the box office. On the other hand, films like The Marvels, The Flash, and more have been given ridiculous budgets without any redeeming factor.
Alien: Romulus Hits Big At The Box Office Despite A Modest Budget
Every year, one film among the big-budget blockbusters proves that less money does not necessarily mean a lesser movie. Last year, the Japanese kaiju film Godzilla Minus One came out of nowhere and took the world by storm with its amazing storytelling and Academy Award-winning VFX.
This year, the surprise hit has been Alien: Romulus, which was released earlier this week. According to Deadline, the sci-fi horror film is projected to earn more than $42 million on opening weekend. Facing stiff competition from Deadpool & Wolverine and It Ends With Us, the relatively modest budget film seems to have a victory.
The Fede Álvarez-directorial has also received positive reviews from critics and fans alike, with many calling it the best film in the franchise since James Cameron’s Aliens. Many appreciated the film’s return to its horror roots and the lead performance by Cailee Spaeny. The film would be a straight third hit for Disney after Deadpool 3 and Inside Out.
Alien: Romulus was announced after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, with multiple films in the franchise set to be developed (via THR). Initially planned for a Hulu release, Disney moved it to a theatrical release shortly before filming began. And, the gamble seems to have paid off.
Fans Question Big Superhero Films After The Success Of Alien: Romulus, Godzilla Minus One and Prey
Good filmmaking always triumphs despite budget constraints. The success of recent films such as Godzilla Minus One, which reportedly had a $15 million budget, and Prey, which cost $65 million, proves that a unifying creative vision can deliver a good film despite less money being put in (via The Numbers).
Though Alien: Romulus had an $80 million budget, it is still less compared to the budgets some Marvel and Star Wars IPs pull in. Fans have questioned the legitimacy of such high budgets when the films and shows have not delivered in terms of storytelling. The Marvels, which reportedly had a $270 million budget was a box office bomb (via Forbes).
Other films like The Flash and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have also failed spectacularly at the box office, despite designing them with tried and tested tropes such as cameos and multiversal stories.
Alien: Romulus is available in cinemas as of August 18.
