The sci-fi horror film "Alien: Romulus" has become the final blockbuster in China's 2024 summer film market. The film's director told China.org.cn that he was "surprised and super happy" with the movie's success. 

Director Fede Alvarez on the set of "Alien: Romulus." [Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios]

By Sunday, Aug. 25, the film had grossed 523 million yuan ($73.3 million) in China after its sophomore weekend, according to Chinese ticketing platform and box office tracker Maoyan. With high ticket sales, the movie's earnings in the Chinese box office have surpassed the current North American total of $72.64 million, making China the film's biggest market globally. The worldwide total for "Alien: Romulus" now stands at $225.4 million, as reported by Box Office Mojo.

"I couldn't be prouder of the movie and to feel like it found such a big audience," director Fede Alvarez said. "It's what we always want as directors or storytellers."

Alvarez wasn't the only one who was surprised by the success of "Alien: Romulus," everyone else was as well, especially in a Chinese market where Hollywood has lost its allure and many films have underperformed. 

However, "Alien: Romulus" reinvigorated Chinese audiences, encouraging them to return to cinemas for thrills and scares. Now the second highest-grossing foreign film of 2024 in China, its success is attributed to a genre gap in the market, audience curiosity and the film's quality, which left viewers satisfied, as some industry observers noted.

As a veteran and expert in the horror movie genre, having created classics like "Evil Dead" and "Don't Breathe," Fede Alvarez didn't think creating a sci-fi film like "Alien: Romulus" was within his comfort zone. "There were many things I'd never done before, and 'Alien: Romulus' had a way bigger scope with lots of challenges. But as an artist and a director, you look for something intimidating that you can't believe you're going to take on. Then, when you do and you finish, you look back and can be very proud of it."

A still from "Alien: Romulus." [Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios]

The director returned to basics with the "Alien" franchise, which started in 1979 and has evolved over the years. He aimed to restore the series to its horror roots and emphasized traditional filmmaking techniques, noting that franchises can sometimes stray from their original essence.

"I wanted to shoot it like the classic movies, avoiding CG as much as possible and returning to practical effects and things that people don't do much these days, to give the audience something that looks and feels different, original, authentic and real. You can feel that the things you see on the screen are actually there, because they are," Alvarez said.

The director recalled that the biggest challenge was the zero-gravity scenes in the film, where the main character kills many Xenomorphs and has to dodge a cloud of acid blood from the space monsters. "It was one of the first ideas that we came up with, but it was really hard to execute. I think the harder things are to do, the more hard work you have to put into them, the more they pay off," he said, adding that the scene worked well and has become one of the most iconic moments from the film, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.

Besides creating dynamic and demanding scenes, Alvarez also focused on the next generation by introducing younger characters, drawing inspiration from a scene in the extended cut of "Aliens" where kids run around a space colony. He found it compelling to explore the limited life options — either becoming a farmer or miner — in such a setting. This sparked the idea of creating characters who yearn for more from life and are willing to do whatever it takes to get out of the situations they are in.

A still from "Alien: Romulus." [Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios]

More than anything, one of the most exciting moments for the director was bringing back the original team that worked on "Aliens" in 1986, who are now in their sixties. "We went back, we hired those guys, and we made sure that they got everything they needed and that they did the best job they have ever done in an 'Alien' movie. The animatronics and all the creatures they created, I think, are the reason the movie has been so successful," he said.

But one icon has not returned yet: Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley. "I think she's been resurrected already once in 'Alien: Resurrection,' so it is not an easy task to do," the director said. However, for a possible future installment, "I think if we find a great way to bring her in, and if she wants to do it, then that would be absolutely fantastic, I'm sure."

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