Alien: Romulusdirector Fede Álvarez explains how his new entry in the sci-fi horror franchise went from a streaming original on Hulu to a big-screen theatrical summer blockbuster.Alien: Romulusis the latest movie in the popularAlienfranchise and takes place between 1979’sAlienand 1986’sAliens. The film seems to have generated a great deal of interest from fans and critics alike, but at one point,Alien: Romuluswas not going to be released in theaters and instead was greenlighted as a streaming movie.
Speaking withVariety, director Fede Álvarez talked about howAlien: Romuluswas originally intended for Hulu. He signed on to direct the movie in 2021 as theaters were just starting to open up. By the timeAlien: Romuluswas officially announced in 2022 to the public, it seemed only guaranteed box office successes would be given theatrical releases, while smaller mid-budget films would go to Disney+ or Hulu. Eventually, 20th Century Fox decided to give the movie a theatrical release, a decision that had a big impact on the crew. Álvarez said:
“That decision was not made at the point where theaters were healthy [But] it was always going to be an ambitious movie for [a streaming] platform…I remember making an announcement to everybody that this movie was going to in theaters, and there was a big cheer. I was like, wow, even the gaffer cares that this goes into theaters!”
Alien: Romulus
Is Alien: Romulus' Theatrical Release Thanks to Prey?
Fede Álvarez was first announced to bedirecting the then-unnamed fifthAlienfilmin March 2022. WhileSpider-Man: No Way Homewas a runaway smash hit at the end of 2021, there was still a lot of uncertainty around the theatrical marketplace. Disney’s then CEO Bob Chapek put a lot of emphasis on streaming releases for Disney+ and Hulu, which resulted in thePredatorprequelPreygetting sent straight to Hulu, much to the later annoyance of fans.
Chapek was ousted from Disney in November 2022 with Bob Iger returning to his former role. Iger seemed to emphasize theatrical distribution, and in June 2023, the film that would be titledAlien: Romuluswas bumped up to a theatrical release.
An argument could be made thatPreymight have played a factor in gettingAlien: Romulusa theatrical release. As soon asPreyhit streaming, fans questioned why they hadnot been able to see it on the big screen. While it might have made sense at the time following the disappointment ofThe Predatorin 2018,Preydelivered what many believe to be the best film in thePredatorfranchise and, with its smaller budget and rave reviews, might have turned into a box office hit.Alien: Romuluswas announced as a Hulu Original five months beforePreycame out. However, afterPreywas a hit, Disney and 20th Century Studios seemed to gain new faith in their R-rated sci-fi horror properties.
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