\n
![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AP24219727746663-e1724021461451.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAlien: Romulus<\/a>,\u201d the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, opened in first place at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release earned an estimated $41.5 million in its first weekend, where it was playing in 3,885 locations in the U.S. and Canada.<\/p>\n Including $66.7 million from international showings in 49 markets, \u201cAlien: Romulus\u201d boasted a $108.2 million global debut. The Walt Disney<\/a> Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, claimed the top two spots on the charts, with Marvel\u2019s \u201cDeadpool & Wolverine<\/a>\u201d now in its fourth weekend, taking second place with $29 million. The company has been responsible for an estimated 42% of the industry\u2019s summer box office haul, including hits \u201cInside Out 2\u201d and \u201cKingdom of the Planet of the Apes.\u201d<\/p>\n August can often be slow for the movie business, or, less charitably, a dumping ground. But while 2024 has lagged overall for the movie business, a string of recent hits including \u201cDeadpool & Wolverine\u201d and \u201c\u00a0It Ends With Us<\/a>\u00a0\u201d helped build a momentum that put this late August weekend over 30% ahead of the same weekend last year. It\u2019s also up over 10% from August 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe summer started off pretty gloomy, but it\u2019s winding up really strong,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. \u201cWe thought we were going to coast through August, but now we\u2019re powering through August towards a much better overall summer number than we expected for the box office.\u201d<\/p>\n Fede \u00c1lvarez directed \u201cAlien: Romulus,<\/a>\u00a0\u201d set around the time of \u201cAlien\u201d and \u201cAliens,\u201d and recruited a cast of up-and-coming 20-somethings to lead the cast including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Isabela Merced. The sci-fi film leans into \u00c1lvarez\u2019s propensity for all things horror, as he is known for \u201cEvil Dead\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Breathe,\u201d and embraces the franchise\u2019s horror roots.<\/p>\n Reviews have been a little mixed, but mostly positive, with an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore.<\/p>\n The romantic drama \u201c\u00a0It Ends With Us<\/a>\u00a0\u201d landed in third place with $24 million, down just 52% from its\u00a0triumphant opening<\/a>. The Sony<\/a> movie starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, has made $97.8 million to date. It cost only $25 million to produce.<\/p>\n The film was adapted from the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel of the same name that follows Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman at a crossroads when a past love upends her current relationship with Baldoni\u2019s Ryle Kincaid.<\/p>\n Rumors of behind-the-scenes drama on the film also continues to dominate social media discourse and tabloid headlines \u2014 but \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling\u201d also taught us that gossip and chatter don\u2019t always translate to box office returns.<\/p>\n \u201cTwisters\u201d placed fourth in its fifth weekend with $9.8 million from 3,483 theaters. The Universal<\/a> release has made over $238.4 million domestically.<\/p>\n Rounding out the top five was a re-release: \u201cCoraline,\u201d which Fathom Events put on over 1,500 screens for its 15th anniversary where it made $11.3 million in four days and $8.6 million from Friday through Sunday. The stop-motion animated film was an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novella, written and directed by Henry Selick and marked the first-ever release for Laika. It\u2019ll be in theaters until Aug. 22.<\/p>\n \u201cBorderlands,\u201d the video game adaptation starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, brought in $2.4 million in its second weekend bringing its total box office earnings to $13.5 million compared to its reported $120 million budget.<\/p>\n Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.<\/p>\n 1. \u201cAlien: Romulus,\u201d $41.5 million.<\/p>\n 2. \u201cDeadpool & Wolverine,\u201d $29 million.<\/p>\n 3. \u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d $24 million.<\/p>\n 4. \u201cTwisters,\u201d $9.8 million.<\/p>\n 5. \u201cCoraline,\u201d $8.6 million.<\/p>\n 6. \u201cDespicable Me 4,\u201d $6 million.<\/p>\n 7. \u201cTrap,\u201d $3.4 million.<\/p>\n 8. \u201cInside Out 2,\u201d $3.2 million.<\/p>\n 9. \u201cBorderlands,\u201d $2.4 million.<\/p>\n 10. \u201cStree 2,\u201d $2.2 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nRecommended Newsletter:<\/strong> The Fortune Next to Lead newsletter is a must-read for the next generation of C-suite leaders. Every Monday, the newsletter provides the strategies, resources, and expert insight needed to claim the most coveted positions in business. Sign up for free<\/a>.<\/div>\n