Romulus Just Proved That One Prometheus Franchise Record Will Likely Never Be Broken

Alien: Romulus was a welcome return to form for the Alien series, performing well critically and commercially. Yet, for all its success, the movie was unable to break a significant franchise record – currently held by Ridley Scott’s 2012 prequel Prometheus. Prometheus‘ place in the Alien franchise is often called into question, on account of its many controversial lore changes and retcons. However, despite its mixed reputation, it stands supreme among Alien films in at least one regard.

Much like Alien: Romulus, contemporary critical reactions to Prometheus were generally positive. Where the 2024 sequel scored 80% positive reviews, according to the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Scott’s film secured a similar 73% rating. In a franchise that has wildly fluctuated throughout its history, this is enough to place both movies near the top of the list when ranking every Alien movie. However, while Alien: Romulus outperformed Prometheus critically, it couldn’t match its financial success.

Alien: Romulus Couldn’t Beat Prometheus’ Box Office Record

Ridley Scott’s Movie Remains The Highest-Grossing In The Series

Made for an estimated $120 million, Prometheus commanded the biggest budget in the Alien series to date. As a result, the pressure was on for the film to perform financially – a challenge it easily overcame. Prometheus made a little over $400 million at the global box office, setting a new record for an Alien movie. Even after two follow-up films, Alien: Covenant and Alien: Romulus, it’s a record that Prometheus still holds.

By contrast, Alien: Romulus was made for a relatively middling budget of $80 million and made $350 million globally – placing it second on the all-time Alien list for money made. This is an impressive achievement, particularly given Covenant‘s somewhat disappointing performance in 2017, and was undoubtedly helped by the movie receiving the best reviews in the franchise since James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens. However, it’s telling that even with such a positive buzz, Romulus still couldn’t unseat Prometheus at the summit. If an 80%-rated sequel, revitalizing the franchise with fresh blood, couldn’t beat Prometheus, it’s unlikely anything can.

Why Prometheus Made So Much Money

It Had Lots Of Factors In Its Favor

There are several reasons why Prometheus was and remains such a financial success. The first, and perhaps most important, is the wider state of the Alien franchise when the film was released. The pulpy Alien vs. Predator films aside, Alien had remained dormant as a series for 25 years before Prometheus‘ release. Since Alien: Resurrection ended the original quadrilogy on a decidedly mediocre note, fans had been craving a film that could finally enhance the legacy of the first two entries in the franchise. Ahead of its release, hopes were high that Prometheus could be that film, driving audience interest.

There was also the intriguing mystery around the movie’s story and wider relevance to the Alien narrative. Pre-release, Ridley Scott had teased cryptic connections about Prometheus sharing “Alien’s DNA“ and a story set to focus on the strange “space jockeys” from the 1979 original. Its prequel status made it an intriguing prospect for both existing fans and newcomers to the series, since it promised to be an introduction and a fresh start. It was a potent mix that will be almost impossible for any future film to recapture in the same way.

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Another underrated consideration is Prometheus‘ budget and story. Whereas Alien was a claustrophobic “haunted house movie in space“, Prometheus was a deliberately expansive sci-fi spectacle – promising state-of-the-art visual effects and incredible visuals. Despite its cerebral themes, this made it more appealing to a mass audience than the more traditional grungy body-horror that has been a hallmark of the franchise. While it’s not impossible for later films to go down the bid-budget sci-fi route, such an approach would seem to be at odds with the Alien series’ horror origins.

The Alien Franchise Shouldn’t Worry About Beating Prometheus

It’s At Its Best When It Takes A Different Approach

While it’s understandable that studios would want new films to break records, the truth is that beating Prometheus‘ box office shouldn’t be the Alien franchise’s primary driver. Time and again, the series has proven that it is at its best when spectacle and blockbuster set pieces are used to support the story, rather than justify it. At their core, the most successful Alien films all embrace the series’ unique blend of science fiction and horror – a combination that, by its nature, isn’t for everyone. It’s telling that, even adjusted for inflation, there is not a huge financial discrepancy between the best and worst films in the series.

Movies like Alien do not need to make $1 billion to justify their existence. Ridley Scott’s 1979 original, which made around $187 million, is widely cited as one of the most influential and important sci-fi horror movies of all time, with praise reserved for its unique design and inventively gory chills. Likewise, Alien: Romulus was widely praised for returning to the series’ blood-soaked origins and was much more violent than Prometheus. The 2012 film proves that it’s possible to create a more commercially-minded film set in the Alien universe. However, it’s mixed legacy proves that this isn’t necessarily what’s best for the franchise.