History of Alien: Romulus in Timeline

Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez, is a science fiction horror film set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). It follows six young space colonists, played by Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu, as they scavenge a derelict space station. The group encounters terrifying, hostile alien creatures, leading to a fight for survival. Produced by Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions, the film aims to recapture the suspense and horror of the original Alien films.

1979: Connection to Original Alien Tech

Jordan Hoffman of Entertainment Weekly praised Alien: Romulus for aligning with the technology of the 1979 original Alien movie.

1979: Setting of Alien

The events of the original Alien film took place in 1979, serving as a point of reference for the timeline of Alien: Romulus.

1986: Setting of Aliens

The events of Aliens occurred in 1986, serving as a later point of reference for the timeline of Alien: Romulus.

1992: Reference to Alien 3

Alien: Romulus features connections and references to Alien 3, which was released in 1992.

1997: Reference to Alien Resurrection

Alien: Romulus features connections and references to Alien Resurrection, which was released in 1997.

2004: Last Alien VHS release prior to Romulus

Alien vs. Predator in 2004 was the last Alien movie to have a VHS release until Alien: Romulus in 2024.

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2006: Last major Hollywood film release on VHS before Alien: Romulus

Prior to the limited VHS release of Alien: Romulus in 2024, the last major Hollywood film to do so was in 2006.

2012: Reference to Prometheus

Alien: Romulus features connections and references to Prometheus, which was released in 2012.

2014: Inspiration from Alien: Isolation

The video game Alien: Isolation, released in 2014, served as inspiration for Alien: Romulus, specifically in the set design with integrated emergency phone registration points.

2016: Director's Previous Box Office Record

The opening weekend box office for Alien: Romulus beat Fede Álvarez's previous record of $26.4 million earned by Don't Breathe in 2016.

2017: Reference to Alien: Covenant

Alien: Romulus features connections and references to Alien: Covenant, which was released in 2017.

2018: Spaeny's Previous Box Office Record

The opening weekend box office for Alien: Romulus surpassed Cailee Spaeny's previous record of $28.1 million earned by Pacific Rim Uprising in 2018.

April 2019: 20th Century Fox announces future Alien films

In April 2019, at CinemaCon, 20th Century Fox announced their plans to produce future Alien films.

2019: 20th Century Fox Confirms Future Alien Films

In 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox confirmed that future Alien films were in development at CinemaCon.

2020: Inspiration from The Last of Us Part II

The pregnancy of the character Kay in Alien: Romulus was inspired by Dina from The Last of Us Part II, which was released in 2020.

March 2022: Álvarez attached as director

In March 2022, Fede Álvarez was attached as the director for the new Alien film.

March 2022: Álvarez to write and direct seventh Alien film

In March 2022, it was reported that Fede Álvarez would write and direct a seventh Alien film after pitching his own story, set to be released on Hulu.

November 2022: Spaeny Enters Negotiations to Star

In November 2022, Cailee Spaeny entered negotiations to star in Alien: Romulus.

December 2022: Renaux Cast Secretly

In December 2022, Archie Renaux was secretly cast in Alien: Romulus after also auditioning for another role.

2022: Prey Release Year

Álvarez suggested co-directing a third Alien vs. Predator film with Dan Trachtenberg, the director of Predator films like Prey, which was released in 2022.

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February 2023: Fearn Joins the Cast

In February 2023, Spike Fearn joined the cast of Alien: Romulus.

March 2023: Merced Set to Co-Star

In March 2023, Isabela Merced was set to co-star in Alien: Romulus opposite Spaeny.

July 3, 2023: End of Principal Photography

Principal photography for Alien: Romulus took place in Budapest from March 9 to July 3, 2023.

July 2023: Filming completed

Filming for Alien: Romulus took place from March to July 2023.

August 12, 2024: Alien: Romulus Premieres in Los Angeles

On August 12, 2024, Alien: Romulus premiered in Los Angeles.

October 15, 2024: Digital and Limited VHS Release

On October 15, 2024, Alien: Romulus was released through digital download and received a limited release on VHS, marking the first official VHS release since Alien vs. Predator in 2004.

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October 2024: Sequel Idea in Development

In October 2024, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell announced they are working on a sequel idea for Alien: Romulus and plan to close a deal with Fede Álvarez.

October 2024: Prequel Comic Book Release

In October 2024, Marvel Comics published a tie-in prequel comic book for Alien: Romulus, written by Zac Thompson and drawn by Daniel Picciotto.

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October 28, 2024: iTunes and Fandango at Home Rankings

For the week ending October 28, 2024, Alien: Romulus ranked No. 7 on iTunes and No. 5 on Fandango at Home.

November 10, 2024: Worldwide Gross

As of November 10, 2024, Alien: Romulus has grossed $105.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $245.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $350.9 million.

November 15, 2024: Vinyl Release of Soundtrack

On November 15, 2024, a vinyl edition of the Alien: Romulus soundtrack, featuring six bonus tracks, was released.

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December 3, 2024: Physical Media Release and Chart Topping

After its release on December 3, 2024, Alien: Romulus spent two weeks at No. 1 and topped the 4K disc chart, retaining the No. 1 spot on combined DVD and Blu-ray sales charts.

December 14, 2024: Top Sales Chart Position Retained

For the week ending December 14, 2024, Alien: Romulus retained its No. 1 position on the Circana VideoScan sales chart (combined DVD and Blu-ray) and the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart, also remaining No. 1 on the 4K disc chart.

December 2024: Top Selling Physical Media Title

According to Circana's VideoScan, Alien: Romulus was the top-selling physical media title for December 2024.

2024: Release of Alien: Romulus

In 2024, Alien: Romulus, a science fiction horror film directed by Fede Álvarez, was released, set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). The film follows young space colonists encountering hostile creatures.

2024: Criticism for digitally adding Ian Holm

In 2024, the decision to digitally add the late Ian Holm for the character of Rook in Alien: Romulus was widely criticized.

2024: Streaming Viewership

Nielsen Media Research calculated that Alien: Romulus was watched for 325 million minutes from November 18-24, 2024.

February 2025: Álvarez Writing Sequel Script

By February 2025, Fede Álvarez confirmed that he is writing the script for the Alien: Romulus sequel, with principal photography tentatively scheduled for later that year.

2025: Predator: Badlands Future Release

Álvarez suggested co-directing a third Alien vs. Predator film with Dan Trachtenberg, the director of Predator films like Predator: Badlands, set to release in 2025.

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