There is some not-to-shocking news to report in regards to the midnight box office performance of Prometheus. The Alien prequel found $3.6 million in initial late night showings as fans flocked to see the franchise’s revival under the wing of the director who spawned the series over three decades ago. While not exactly a game changing effort in the genre, the film did receive some fantastic early reviews from critics which lead the blockbuster feature to some of the best reviews of any big budget offering this season.
Early tracking had the movie grossing north of $45 million for the weekend, and this particularly strong midnight performance is not seen as something that will validate that figure as horror films stacked with any genre tend to perform well in their initial showings. It will be the Saturday and Sunday figures that prove (or disprove) that the prequel has what it takes to post impressive box office figures.
Prometheus launched in a handful of markets last week, so some of you may be surprised to hear that the picture already has amassed over $46 million from overseas locations. Adding in that $3.6 million from midnights, that brings Ridley Scott’s return to the genre to nearly $50 million worldwide–a good start considering the movie only cost between $120 and $130 million to make.