Reasons Why Alien: Covenant Underperformed Compared to Prometheus at the Box Office

Alien: Covenant, the eagerly awaited sequel to Prometheus, surprisingly underperformed at the box office. In re-entering the Alien franchise after three decades, Ridley Scott had ambitious visions. He believed the iconic Xenomorph lacked the capacity to terrify audiences due to its overexposure in numerous sequels and derivatives. Instead, Scott aimed to shift the focus toward artificial intelligence as the new antagonist, using the film series as a platform to delve into broader thematic explorations.

This approach led Prometheus to be conceived as a prequel that diverged significantly from prior installments, ultimately achieving over $400 million globally. Despite its financial success, the film remains one of the most ambitious yet polarizing in the series. The absence of recognizable characters and familiar story arcs disappointed some viewers, particularly due to the lack of an authentic Xenomorph. Prometheus concluded with clear indications of a continuation, but Alien: Covenant found itself struggling with its identity.

Impact of Prometheus on Alien: Covenant’s Box Office Performance

A Divided Audience Response to Prometheus

The android David (Michael Fassbender) collects samples in Prometheus

Prometheus excelled in its marketing campaign, generating significant anticipation through well-crafted posters and trailers. Its box office performance was commendable for a rated-R sci-fi film targeting adult audiences, though it didn’t achieve universal acclaim.In the wake of its release, a surge of articles and videos emerged analyzing its themes and dissecting plot inconsistencies. This scrutiny led to criticisms regarding character depth and perplexities like casting Guy Pearce as a centenarian.

Every Alien Movie	Budget	Box Office
Alien (1979)	$10.7 million	$188, 034, 787
Aliens (1986)	$17 million	$183, 291, 893
Alien 3 (1992)	$55 million	$158, 500, 000
Alien Resurrection (1997)	$60 million	$160, 707, 848
Alien vs Predator (2004)	$70 million	$172, 543, 519
Alien vs Predator: Requiem (2007)	$40 million	$128, 884, 494
Prometheus (2012)	$125 million	$402, 448, 265
Alien: Covenant (2017)	$97 million	$238, 521, 247
Alien: Romulus (2024)	$80 million	$350, 865, 342

While audiences and critics acknowledged the film’s stunning visuals and praised Michael Fassbender’s performance as the android David, critiques swirled around its weaker points, notably character development. The discussions surrounding Prometheus often eclipsed the film itself, potentially leading to diminished enthusiasm for its sequel. As a result, Covenant’s $239 million earnings fell significantly short of its predecessor.

Alien: Covenant’s Attempt to Redirect the Franchise

Fox’s Desire for Stronger Franchise Connections

Scott famously remarked that the Xenomorph had become “cooked”in previous films and felt that the franchise had exhausted its potential with the creature. However, in response to the mixed reception of Prometheus, 20th Century Fox pushed for the sequel to embrace the franchise’s familiar elements, resulting in a film that serves as both a continuation of Prometheus and a soft reboot tinged with references to Alien.

Despite the creators’ intent, the final act of Alien: Covenant lacks the suspense characteristic of the series, and the digital effects used for the “Praetomorph”left much to be desired. Scott appeared more invested in exploring the themes of Prometheus—such as the creator vs.created dynamics—while still trying to deliver conventional Alien thrills, resulting in a disjointed narrative.

The gap of five years between Prometheus and Covenant may have contributed to the waning enthusiasm for David and Shaw’s story. Ultimately, the film ended up feeling like an incongruent blend of its predecessors, rather than a coherent continuation.

Box Office Outcomes and the Unresolved Fate of Alien: Covenant

The Uncertain Fate of David

Danny McBride's Tennessee & Katherine Waterston's Daniels holding rifles and walking down a hallway and Michael Fassbender's David looking intensely in Alien Covenant — Custom Image by Grant Hermanns

Before Covenant’s debut, Scott was enthusiastic about a third installment, tentatively titled Awakening, which would explore David’s control over the ship and his torturous experiments on the colonists. He envisioned at least two more sequels that would tie back to the origins of the Alien series and the crew aboard the Nostromo. However, Covenant’s disappointing box office immediately curtailed those plans and left David’s narrative unresolved.

Despite the films’ shortcomings, David emerged as a standout character—both a villain and a surprisingly sympathetic figure—creating a nuanced portrayal amidst a backdrop of chaos. The potential of David becoming a twisted Dr. Moreau was intriguing, as audiences could have witnessed his horrific experimentation with Xenomorph DNA and the infamous black goo.

Scott previously declined to direct a version of Alien 3, penned by cyberpunk author William Gibson, which also featured a DNA-altering Xeno virus. Ultimately, Alien: Covenant’s reception clearly indicated that audiences were disinterested in further explorations of this narrative, suggesting that perhaps it would have been better if Prometheus had stood alone, clarifying the origins of the derelict ship on LV-426 instead of leaving the story open for further installments.

Alien: Romulus Reshapes the Franchise Post-Prometheus

Reviving the Franchise with Alien: Romulus

Cailee from Alien: Romulus and Walter from Prometheus — Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic

The underwhelming performance of Covenant left the franchise without a clear direction, compounded by Disney’s acquisition of Fox. Although Scott hoped to pursue his vision for the Prometheus narrative, the trajectory shifted towards Fede Álvarez’s successful Alien: Romulus, which serves as a functional reboot between the original films.

While Romulus does incorporate elements from Prometheus, particularly the infamous black goo, it successfully revitalizes interest in the franchise, with whispers of a sequel already circulating. Had the latest Alien feature continued Scott’s storyline, the reception might have diverged dramatically. In any longstanding film series, innovation is vital, yet the lukewarm audience response to Scott’s origins saga left many bewildered.

Alien: Romulus may not be hailed as a cinematic masterpiece, but it embodies the gory, thrilling escapism that was longed for by fans. Its integration of some Prometheus lore indicates that elements from Scott’s prequels will persist in the franchise, albeit a comprehensive return to that narrative style seems improbable moving forward.

Source: The Numbers, Yahoo!

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