“Alien: Covenant” is estimated to take the top box office spot this weekend from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” but it will be by a margin that’s narrower than expected. Industry estimates have Fox’s latest installment in the sci-fi horror series making $36 million this weekend after a Saturday total of $12 million from 3,761 screens. Studio and industry projections had the film pinned for a $40 million release.
With a reported budget of $97 million and a $30 million overseas gross this weekend, it’s a solid opening for Fox’s R-rated blockbuster, but not only is a $36 million total nearly 30 percent lower than the $51 million opening set by director Ridley Scott’s last film in the “Alien” universe, “Prometheus,” it is also lower than the $38.3 million opening made by the 2004 crossover “Alien vs. Predator.” The film currently holds a 73 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and a B on CinemaScore, matching the critical scores achieved by “Prometheus.”
“Guardians,” meanwhile, continues to show staying power by holding its drop off to 46 percent with a $15 million Saturday, keeping it on pace to pass the $300 million mark domestically with an estimated third frame of $35 million. Combined with an international haul of $28 million, the Marvel sequel will have a global cume of $732 million, just $41 million away from passing the global total set by the first “Guardians.” The film also joined “The Fate of the Furious” this weekend as one of two 2017 films to pass the $50 million global mark for IMAX screenings. “Guardians” currently has a $55 million cume in this category after grossing $5 million this weekend from 883 IMAX screens globally.
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In third is Warner Bros. and MGM’s $10 million teen romance “Everything Everything,” which will hit its projection target with an estimated opening of $12 million from 2,801 locations. The low-budget adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s best-selling YA novel hasn’t been a hit with critics — it currently holds a 43 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but it has earned an A- on CinemaScore thanks to the glowing response from the young, female audience that is the film’s target demographic. The CinemaScore breakdown is 82 percent female and 18 percent male, with 74 percent aged 25 or under.
Two Fox titles round out the top five. In fourth is holdover “Snatched,” which made an estimated $7.7 million in its second frame. In fifth is new release “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul,” which is on pace to finish well below its $10 million projection target with a $7 million opening from 3,157 screens. The fourth film based on Jeff Kinney’s popular kids’ book series, the film holds a 19 percent RT rating and a B on CinemaScore.