Ridley Scott's Misunderstood $241M Sci-Fi Sequel Is Quietly Dominating the Streaming Charts 8 Years Later

Ridley Scott started various franchises that went on to become major IPs, and one of them was Alien. The director didn’t return to helm the sequels, but continued the franchise with two prequels, 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.

The former was a hit, earning positive reviews and becoming a commercial hit. However, its dark sci-fi sequel, Alien: Covenant, was more misunderstood, as it continued the story about how the Xenomorphs were released in the dark cosmos. Eight years after its release in theaters, Alien: Covenant is now a streaming hit, per FlixPatrol.

Alien: Covenant debuted in 10th place on HBO Max’s Top 10 streaming charts immediately after its Aug. 1 release. The movie was directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and brought back Michael Fassbender as David 8 and Walter One, the synthetic androids monitoring the Covenant spaceship, who survived the doomed Prometheus expedition. The sci-fi sequel follows the Covenant’s crew as they arrive on an uncharted planet, where they make a terrifying discovery that threatens their lives.

Alongside Fassbender, Alien: Covenant starred Katherine Waterston as Danny, Billy Crudup as Chris Oram, Danny McBride as Tennessee, Demián Bichir as Dan Lope, Carmen Ejogo as Karine Oram, and Jussie Smollett as Ricks. Guy Pearce reprised his role as Peter Weyland, the trillionaire founder and CEO of Weyland Corporation.

Following its release, Alien: Covenant received mixed reviews. The film earned enough positive scores for a “fresh” badge, but it features an unimpressive 65% score from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews point out that the sci-fi horror film was still able to provide a terrifying adventure, but that it brought nothing new to the franchise. It didn’t have the same effect on the audience, who gave the sci-fi horror a negative score, with an approval rating of 55% on the Popcornmeter.

Alien: Covenant was also a moderate success in theaters. The Prometheus sequel grossed $238.5 million worldwide against a budget of $97 million, making just enough to cover its production budget and its costs. It further added $19.4 million from physical media sales (via The Numbers).

Alien: Covenant’s Cast Wanted to Continue the Trilogy

Scott directed the two films that, despite mixed reviews, were successful and kept the franchise alive. The stars have expressed their interest in coming back and have Scott finish the prequel trilogy. Actor Katherine Waterston shared her willingness to return. “I like to think that Daniels made it out of the pod, but I’m not sure,” she said in late 2024. “I just love that world. And Ridley is a dream. He’s an incredible person and a great collaborator. I’d personally love to work with him again, but even if I wasn’t involved, I’d just love to go to the cinema and watch it.”

Michael Fassbender is also interested in reprising his character. “For sure. I mean, I love working with Ridley. It was such a great experience; he’s phenomenal. He’s such an inspiration. You know, he does these big films. They’re so difficult to make, and he’s a master. He’s fantastic.”

The Alien franchise continues to thrive. After the successful Alien: Romulus, which premiered in 2024 to great reviews, the spinoff will receive a sequel. The universe will continue with the upcoming Alien: Earth, which premieres on FX and Hulu on Aug. 12, which is a prequel series set before the events of the 1979 film Alien.

Scott is working on a new Alien film, too, and previously teased Alien: Covenant deserves a sequel. “[Alien:] Covenant is the best one [for a sequel] because it leaves the girl in the [cryo pod] and [Michael Fassbender’s killer android] David has alien eggs and 2,000 colonists hanging around. It’s a perfect beginning.” So far, it’s unclear whether his project is a sequel to Romulus, Covenant, or something new.

Alien: Covenant is streaming on HBO Max.

Source: FlixPatrol

Alien Covenant Poster