Aliens (1986)

Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $85,160,248Details
International Box Office $98,131,645Details
Worldwide Box Office $183,291,893
Further financial details...

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$10,052,042 (11.8% of total gross)
Legs:8.47 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:46.5% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$17,000,000 (worldwide box office is 10.8 times production budget)
Theater counts:1,437 opening theaters/1,454 max. theaters, 9.5 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $247,446,750

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 901-1,000) 980 $85,160,248
All Time International Box Office (Rank 1,101-1,200) 1,119 $98,131,645
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,010 $183,291,893
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 226 $85,160,248
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 221 $98,131,645
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 210 $183,291,893

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes, iTunes
Google Play:Google Play, Google Play, Google Play, Google Play

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: July 18th, 1986 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox
International Releases: July 18th, 1986 (Wide) (New Zealand)
August 29th, 1986 (Wide) (United Kingdom)
November 6th, 1986 (Wide) (Australia)
December 24th, 1986 (Wide) (South Korea)
July 16th, 2020 (Wide) (Australia)
... Show all releases
Video Release: June 24th, 1993 by Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Franchise: Alien
Comparisons: vs. Sleight
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Parasite, Corporate Malfeasance, Nightmare, Dream Sequence, Action Horror
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Action
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Science Fiction
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 189 $10,923,100 Aug 29, 1986 45

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 18, 1986 1 $10,052,042   1,437 $6,995   $10,052,042 1
Jul 25, 1986 1 $8,640,292 -14% 1,454 $5,942   $25,070,095 2
Aug 1, 1986 1 $7,060,101 -18% 1,453 $4,859   $37,314,946 3
Aug 8, 1986 1 $5,779,352 -18% 1,395 $4,143   $47,312,167 4
Aug 15, 1986 3 $4,303,173 -26% 1,302 $3,305   $55,001,488 5
Aug 22, 1986 3 $3,371,670 -22% 1,280 $2,634   $60,977,693 6
Aug 29, 1986 5 $3,586,256 +6% 1,249 $2,871   $66,354,475 7
Sep 5, 1986 5 $2,114,578 -41% 1,165 $1,815   $69,274,605 8
Sep 12, 1986 5 $1,636,417 -23% 1,063 $1,539   $71,650,757 9
Sep 19, 1986 6 $1,461,468 -11% 1,040 $1,405   $73,682,234 10
Sep 26, 1986 9 $1,042,070 -29% 924 $1,128   $75,201,373 11

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 18, 1986 1 $16,429,803   1,437 $11,433   $16,429,803 1
Jul 25, 1986 1 $13,825,042 -16% 1,454 $9,508   $30,254,845 2
Aug 1, 1986 1 $11,277,970 -18% 1,453 $7,762   $41,532,815 3
Aug 8, 1986 1 $9,165,500 -19% 1,395 $6,570   $50,698,315 4
Aug 15, 1986 2 $6,907,708 -25% 1,302 $5,305   $57,606,023 5
Aug 22, 1986 4 $5,162,196 -25% 1,280 $4,033   $62,768,219 6
Aug 29, 1986 4 $4,391,808 -15% 1,249 $3,516   $67,160,027 7
Sep 5, 1986 4 $2,854,313 -35% 1,165 $2,450   $70,014,340 8
Sep 12, 1986 5 $2,206,426 -23% 1,063 $2,076   $72,220,766 9
Sep 19, 1986 5 $1,938,537 -12% 1,040 $1,864   $74,159,303 10

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Australia 11/6/1986 $0 0 94 207 $344,487 1/15/2021
Italy 5/29/2023 $0000$0
Mexico 7/20/2023 $0000$0
New Zealand 7/18/1986 $0 0 22 47 $14,240 7/31/2023
South Korea 12/24/1986 $0 0 34 58 $10,009 7/15/2020
United Kingdom 8/29/1986 $0 0 63 229 $155,707 5/10/2023
 
Rest of World $97,607,202
 
International Total$98,131,645 7/31/2023

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
May 15, 2011819,641 19,641$294,425$294,425934
Sep 18, 2016188,465 837,993$121,765$10,947,9881,213

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Leading Cast

Sigourney Weaver    Ellen Ripley

Supporting Cast

Paul Reiser    Carter J. Burke
Bill Paxton    Pvt. W. Hudson
Carrie Henn    Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden
William Hope    Lt. Gorman
Michael Biehn    Corporal Dwayne Hicks
Al Matthews    Sgt. Apone
Lance Henriksen    Bishop
Mark Rolston    Pvt. Drake
Jenette Goldstein    Pvt. Vasquez

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

James Cameron    Screenwriter
James Cameron    Director
James Horner    Composer

Blu-ray Sales: A Whole Host of New Releases

September 23rd, 2013

The week of July 14th, 2013 was a bit strange on the home market, as the Blu-ray sales chart and the DVD sales chart didn't line up very well. Granted, in both cases, new releases dominated, but unlike on DVD, The Host led the way on Blu-ray. It sold 103,000 units and generated $2.38 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 42%, which isn't bad for a film with a decidedly weak box run. More...

2010 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part II

December 2nd, 2010

Christmas shopping season is in full swing and this week we have the second part of our Holiday Gift Guide. Last week, Part I talked about big first run releases, while this week we look at box sets and TV on DVD releases. When it comes to the latter, this list is limited to Full Series Megasets and the first season of shows that made their home market debut this year, mostly. This is because when it comes to full season sets from the middle of a show's run, they don't really make good gifts, unless the person is already collecting the series. "Here's season three of a great show. You'll have to buy the first two yourself and get caught up before watching this one." Anyhoo, there are still plenty of releases worth giving as gifts this season, starting with... More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: Alien Anthology

November 4th, 2010

It has been just over 30 years since the first Alien hit theaters and around seven years since the franchise Box Set came out on DVD. Because these films have been released, and re-released, and then released again, this review will be less about the movies, and more about the Blu-ray and whether or not it is worth the upgrade. More...


  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Cast & Crew
  7. Trailer

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$10,052,042 (11.8% of total gross)
Legs:8.47 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:46.5% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$17,000,000 (worldwide box office is 10.8 times production budget)
Theater counts:1,437 opening theaters/1,454 max. theaters, 9.5 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $247,446,750

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 901-1,000) 980 $85,160,248
All Time International Box Office (Rank 1,101-1,200) 1,119 $98,131,645
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,010 $183,291,893
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 226 $85,160,248
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 221 $98,131,645
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 201-300) 210 $183,291,893

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes, iTunes
Google Play:Google Play, Google Play, Google Play, Google Play

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: July 18th, 1986 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox
International Releases: July 18th, 1986 (Wide) (New Zealand)
August 29th, 1986 (Wide) (United Kingdom)
November 6th, 1986 (Wide) (Australia)
December 24th, 1986 (Wide) (South Korea)
July 16th, 2020 (Wide) (Australia)
... Show all releases
Video Release: June 24th, 1993 by Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Franchise: Alien
Comparisons: vs. Sleight
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Parasite, Corporate Malfeasance, Nightmare, Dream Sequence, Action Horror
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Action
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Science Fiction
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 189 $10,923,100 Aug 29, 1986 45

Leading Cast

Sigourney Weaver    Ellen Ripley

Supporting Cast

Paul Reiser    Carter J. Burke
Bill Paxton    Pvt. W. Hudson
Carrie Henn    Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden
William Hope    Lt. Gorman
Michael Biehn    Corporal Dwayne Hicks
Al Matthews    Sgt. Apone
Lance Henriksen    Bishop
Mark Rolston    Pvt. Drake
Jenette Goldstein    Pvt. Vasquez

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

James Cameron    Screenwriter
James Cameron    Director
James Horner    Composer

Blu-ray Sales: A Whole Host of New Releases

September 23rd, 2013

The week of July 14th, 2013 was a bit strange on the home market, as the Blu-ray sales chart and the DVD sales chart didn't line up very well. Granted, in both cases, new releases dominated, but unlike on DVD, The Host led the way on Blu-ray. It sold 103,000 units and generated $2.38 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 42%, which isn't bad for a film with a decidedly weak box run. More...

2010 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part II

December 2nd, 2010

Christmas shopping season is in full swing and this week we have the second part of our Holiday Gift Guide. Last week, Part I talked about big first run releases, while this week we look at box sets and TV on DVD releases. When it comes to the latter, this list is limited to Full Series Megasets and the first season of shows that made their home market debut this year, mostly. This is because when it comes to full season sets from the middle of a show's run, they don't really make good gifts, unless the person is already collecting the series. "Here's season three of a great show. You'll have to buy the first two yourself and get caught up before watching this one." Anyhoo, there are still plenty of releases worth giving as gifts this season, starting with... More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: Alien Anthology

November 4th, 2010

It has been just over 30 years since the first Alien hit theaters and around seven years since the franchise Box Set came out on DVD. Because these films have been released, and re-released, and then released again, this review will be less about the movies, and more about the Blu-ray and whether or not it is worth the upgrade. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 18, 1986 1 $10,052,042   1,437 $6,995   $10,052,042 1
Jul 25, 1986 1 $8,640,292 -14% 1,454 $5,942   $25,070,095 2
Aug 1, 1986 1 $7,060,101 -18% 1,453 $4,859   $37,314,946 3
Aug 8, 1986 1 $5,779,352 -18% 1,395 $4,143   $47,312,167 4
Aug 15, 1986 3 $4,303,173 -26% 1,302 $3,305   $55,001,488 5
Aug 22, 1986 3 $3,371,670 -22% 1,280 $2,634   $60,977,693 6
Aug 29, 1986 5 $3,586,256 +6% 1,249 $2,871   $66,354,475 7
Sep 5, 1986 5 $2,114,578 -41% 1,165 $1,815   $69,274,605 8
Sep 12, 1986 5 $1,636,417 -23% 1,063 $1,539   $71,650,757 9
Sep 19, 1986 6 $1,461,468 -11% 1,040 $1,405   $73,682,234 10
Sep 26, 1986 9 $1,042,070 -29% 924 $1,128   $75,201,373 11

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Jul 18, 1986 1 $16,429,803   1,437 $11,433   $16,429,803 1
Jul 25, 1986 1 $13,825,042 -16% 1,454 $9,508   $30,254,845 2
Aug 1, 1986 1 $11,277,970 -18% 1,453 $7,762   $41,532,815 3
Aug 8, 1986 1 $9,165,500 -19% 1,395 $6,570   $50,698,315 4
Aug 15, 1986 2 $6,907,708 -25% 1,302 $5,305   $57,606,023 5
Aug 22, 1986 4 $5,162,196 -25% 1,280 $4,033   $62,768,219 6
Aug 29, 1986 4 $4,391,808 -15% 1,249 $3,516   $67,160,027 7
Sep 5, 1986 4 $2,854,313 -35% 1,165 $2,450   $70,014,340 8
Sep 12, 1986 5 $2,206,426 -23% 1,063 $2,076   $72,220,766 9
Sep 19, 1986 5 $1,938,537 -12% 1,040 $1,864   $74,159,303 10

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Australia 11/6/1986 $0 0 94 207 $344,487 1/15/2021
Italy 5/29/2023 $0000$0
Mexico 7/20/2023 $0000$0
New Zealand 7/18/1986 $0 0 22 47 $14,240 7/31/2023
South Korea 12/24/1986 $0 0 34 58 $10,009 7/15/2020
United Kingdom 8/29/1986 $0 0 63 229 $155,707 5/10/2023
 
Rest of World $97,607,202
 
International Total$98,131,645 7/31/2023

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
May 15, 2011819,641 19,641$294,425$294,425934
Sep 18, 2016188,465 837,993$121,765$10,947,9881,213

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.