What Is the Alien Film Franchise?
The Alien franchise is one of the
most influential science fiction horror series in cinema history, spanning core
series entries, prequels and crossovers over nearly five decades. Across nine
main films, it has mixed slow-burn horror, action and philosophical sci-fi,
while introducing the iconic Xenomorph creature and Ellen Ripley as one of
genre cinema’s defining heroes. The series has also been a major box office
presence, with individual films like Prometheus and Alien: Romulus crossing the
300–400 million worldwide mark.
This post is based on an episode
from my YouTube channel Cinema Awards Archive, where I
break down the Alien franchise film by film, focusing on release history, box
office and awards recognition.
Alien Movies in Release Order
Here are the main Alien franchise films in release order:
- Alien
(1979)
- Aliens
(1986)
- Alien
3 (1992)
- Alien
Resurrection (1997)
- Alien
vs. Predator (2004)
- Alien
vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Prometheus
(2012)
- Alien:
Covenant (2017)
- Alien:
Romulus (2024)
Below, you’ll find a detailed section on each film using your script as-is, with punctuation cleaned and presentation optimized for readability and SEO.
1. Alien (1979)
Alien (1979) is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon, based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. It follows a spaceship crew who investigate a derelict spaceship and are hunted by a deadly extraterrestrial creature. The alien creatures and environments were designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, while the concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the other sets.Alien premiered on May 25th 1979,
the opening night of the fourth Seattle International Film Festival. It
received a wide release on June 22 and was released on September 6th in the
United Kingdom. It initially received mixed reviews, but won the Academy Award
for Best Visual Effects, three Saturn Awards (Best Science Fiction Film, Best
Direction for Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright), and a Hugo
Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
It grossed $78.9 million in the
United States and £7.8 million in the United Kingdom during its first
theatrical run. Its worldwide gross to date has been estimated at between $104
million and $203 million. In subsequent years, Alien was critically reassessed
and is now considered one of the greatest and most influential science fiction
and horror films of all time.
In 2002, Alien was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In 2008, it was ranked by the American Film Institute as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre and as the 33rd-greatest film of all time by Empire.
2. Aliens (1986)
Aliens (1986) is a 1986 science fiction action film written and directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien and the second film in the Alien franchise. Set in the far future, it stars Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship.When communications are lost with
a human colony on the moon where her crew first encountered the alien
creatures, Ripley agrees to return to the site with a unit of Colonial Marines
to investigate. It was released on July 18th 1986, to critical acclaim.
Reviewers praised its action but some criticized the intensity of certain
scenes.
The film received several awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Weaver at a time when the science-fiction genre was generally overlooked. It earned roughly $131.1–183.3 million during its theatrical run, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1986 worldwide.
3. Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 (1992) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill and Larry Ferguson from a story by Vincent Ward. It is the third installment of the Alien franchise. Set immediately after the events of Aliens (1986), Ripley and an Alien organism are the only survivors of the Colonial Marine spaceship Sulaco following an escape pod's crash on a planet housing a penal colony populated by violent male inmates.The film had a troubled
production, facing numerous problems including shooting without a script and
the attachment of various screenwriters and directors. Fincher, in his feature
directorial debut, was eventually brought in to direct after a proposed version
with Ward as director was canceled during pre-production. It was released on
May 22nd 1992. While it underperformed at the American box office, it earned
over $100 million outside North America.
The film received mixed reviews and was regarded as inferior to previous installments. Fincher has since disowned the film, deeming it unfaithful to his original vision due to studio interference. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, seven Saturn Awards (Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress for Weaver, Best Supporting Actor for Dutton, Best Direction for Fincher and Best Writing for Giler, Hill and Ferguson), a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and an MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence. In 2003, an extended and revised version of the film known as the Assembly Cut was released without Fincher's involvement, which received a warmer reception.
4. Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien Resurrection (1997) is a 1997 American science fiction horror film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Joss Whedon and starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. It is the fourth installment of the Alien franchise. In the film, set 200 years after the preceding instalment Alien 3 (1992), Ellen Ripley is cloned and an Alien queen is surgically removed from her body.The United Systems Military (USM)
hopes to breed Aliens to study and research on the spaceship USM Auriga, using
human hosts abducted and delivered to them by a group of mercenaries. The
Aliens escape their enclosures and Ripley and the mercenaries attempt to escape
and destroy the Auriga before it reaches Earth. It had its premiere in Paris on
November 6th 1997 and was released to the public on November 12.
It grossed US $47.8 million in
the United States and Canada, making it the least successful of the Alien
series in that market. It grossed $161 million worldwide. The film received
mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay but praised Weaver's
performance and Jeunet's direction. The film was nominated for six Saturn
Awards including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress for Weaver, Best
Supporting Actress for Ryder and Best Direction for Jeunet.
More sequels were planned to follow Resurrection but were ultimately abandoned as the crossover series arrived with the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator, along with the prequel series including the 2012 film Prometheus. The storylines of Resurrection have been continued in the comic series Aliens versus Predator versus The Terminator, and books Aliens: Original Sin and Alien: Sea of Sorrows.
READ : The Evolution of Predator: A Franchise History
5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Alien vs. Predator (2004) is a 2004 science fiction action horror film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It is the first film installment of the Alien vs Predator franchise, the fifth film in the Alien franchise and third film of the Predator franchise, adapting a crossover bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a concept which originated in a 1989 comic book written by Randy Stradley and Chris Warner.Alien vs. Predator was theatrically released on 13th August 2004. The film received generally negative reviews from critics but grossed $177.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $60–70 million. The film received a cult following from fans over time, with many praising the story, creature effects and action sequences. A direct sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was released in 2007.
6. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) is a 2007 American science fiction horror action film. The directorial debut of The Brothers Strause, the film was written by Shane Salerno and is a direct sequel to Alien vs. Predator (2004) as well as the second and latest installment in the Alien vs. Predator franchise, the sixth film in the Alien franchise and the fourth film in the Predator franchise.Set immediately after the events
of the previous film, the film begins with a Predator ship crashing into a
forest outside of Gunnison, Colorado, where an Alien-Predator hybrid known as
the Predalien escapes and makes its way to the nearby small town. A skilled
veteran "cleaner" Predator is dispatched to kill the Predalien and
the townspeople try to escape the ensuing carnage. It premiered on November 4th
2007 in Los Angeles. It was released theatrically on December 25 in the United
States.
The film received generally
negative reviews from critics for its poor lighting, editing and lack of
originality. It grossed $130.2 million worldwide against a production budget of
$40 million. Plans for another sequel were abandoned with further independent
entries in both franchises released in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
Prometheus was released on June 1st 2012 in the United Kingdom and on June 8th 2012 in North America. The film earned generally positive reviews, receiving praise for the designs, production values and cast performances. The film grossed over $403 million worldwide. A sequel, Alien: Covenant was released in May 2017.
8. Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant (2017) is a 2017 science fiction horror film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by John Logan and Dante Harper from a story by Michael Green and Jack Paglen. It follows the crew of a colony ship that lands on an uncharted planet and makes a terrifying discovery. In 2012, before the release of Prometheus, Scott discussed the prospects of a sequel and new trilogy and this film was confirmed that August.Scott said the film's first cut was 2 hours and 23 minutes, which was edited down by over twenty minutes. It premiered in London on May 4th 2017. It was released by 20th Century Fox on May 12 in the United Kingdom and on May 19 in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, grossing $240 million against a production budget of $111 million.
9. Alien: Romulus (2024)
Alien: Romulus (2024) is a 2024 science fiction horror film directed by Fede Álvarez who co-wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues. It is part of the Alien franchise, set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu as six downtrodden young space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station in which they plan to navigate to another planet.It premiered in Los Angeles on
August 12th 2024 and was theatrically released in the United States by 20th
Century Studios on August 16. The film grossed around $350.7 million worldwide
and received positive reviews. It has received several industry nominations,
namely for its technical aspects including an Academy Award nomination for Best
Visual Effects. A sequel is in development.
Here’s a quick look at worldwide box office for selected
Alien films:
|
Film |
Worldwide box office (approx.) |
Notes |
|
Prometheus (2012) |
$402 million |
Highest-grossing film in the series. |
|
Alien: Romulus (2024) |
$350.7 million |
Second-highest, strong modern run. |
|
Alien: Covenant (2017) |
$238.5 million |
Prequel follow-up to Prometheus. |
|
Alien vs. Predator (2004) |
$172.5 million |
Successful crossover entry. |
|
Alien Resurrection (1997) |
$160.7 million |
Mixed reception but solid overseas. |
Across the series, Alien films have collectively earned
Oscars, BAFTAs, Saturn Awards and Hugo Awards, especially in the fields of
visual effects, sound and genre-specific categories. Alien and Aliens in
particular are frequently cited among the greatest science fiction and horror
films ever made, while later entries like Prometheus and Alien: Romulus have
kept the franchise alive with new mythology and modern production values.
From awards recognition to box office success and enduring
fan debates, the Alien film franchise remains one of cinema’s most important
sci-fi horror sagas.
Looking for more cinematic universes, long-running sagas, and connected movie timelines? Dive into these in‑depth franchise guides:
- The Evolution of the Predator Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-evolution-of-predator-franchise.html - The Bourne Cinematic Universe Explained
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-bourne-cinematic-universe-explained.html - Unleashing the Transformers Movie Universe
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/unleashing-transformer-movie-universe.html - The MonsterVerse Movies Explained (Godzilla, Kong & more)
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-monsterverse-movies-explained.html - Rocky – The Ultimate Film Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/rocky-ultimate-film-franchise.html
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