Current Box Office Totals

With AC I have learned that times are changing with the new generations, culture is not the same, maybe is going to be the end of that big-budget productions not for FOX only, quick soluctions: lower costs, more brain, better screenwriters and less SGI. Other question to add here about 3D format, if I remember well PROMETHEUS was released in IMAX 3D.  Can this be relevant matter to this chaos?

Roger55 More brain, exactly. "Arrival" cost half of "Covenant's" budget and made more money domestically than the amount this movie will make by the end of its theatrical run. But when you have a trilogy you need to have a strong foundation, you need to build up an audience and, most importantly, you need to know where you are going, what's the destination. I don't think Ridley Scott's prequels ever knew where they were going, and its evolution has been even clumsier than that of George Lucas' prequels. Probably now, after two movies, he knows where he wants to take this franchise. But the audience has said: sorry we are not on board. So now, instead of having a last installment that everybody is dying to see like the last Harry Potter or the last Lord of the Rings, we have a movie that is even at risk of ever being made.

I think there should be questions raised about how the budget was spent.

Yes RS makes a beautiful looking film. Fact.

But why spend all this money on elaborate sets if you are not going to acknowledge them.

Fans were in awe of the potential the trailers have

Yet we skip past the city, hall of heads and other remarkable sights without a care for them.

Wasted money and wasted opportunity.

Because 

Looks like Covenant will end it's domestic run just shy of $80 million.  It doesn't have much left in the international run in the markets that it has already opened in.  So it's going to need a big China and Japan showing.  We'll know in a couple weeks if that happens for at least China.  Still Blu-ray and VOD should do well, probably near Prometheus numbers of $40 million. Then you have the merchandising.  In the end overall it should turn a profit.  I would think at that point they would let Scott at least finish the prequel.  He still is a big name director, and maybe he can learn from the mistakes of Prometheus and Covenant.

@ATI - No, I do not bash every movie.  Matter of fact, I highly recommended Wonder Woman.  I also recommend FATF, the last two Star Wars movies and John Wick.

With movies, I view as stinkers, I do not recommend.  I guess you never heard of the phrase, "word of mouth".

I just saw Jafo's response and that is what I was talking about.  Also, perhaps an Alien reboot is possible.   I think that is why the marketing was the way it was because when this was viewed in-house; the execs probably did not like what they saw and thought they could reap more profits in May than August.

Great discussion! Agree colonial soldier that moving up the date could only make things better imo. Throw a ton of marketing at the public and see what sticks. If word had gotten out what a stinker this was to social media before a late summer release I probably would not have bought my ticket, as might others. AC has all the ingredients, to me it just can't tell a story with logical characters to get out of it's own way. A trope filled romp is fine , even mixed with some deep thoughts is again fine. Just add some creativity and tension, ALL WITH SENSIBLE characters.  How Ridley can't see that is just mind blowing and frustrates me that he refuses to see the obvious. What a great looking film though, mostly, and the sound is beyond pimp. A top actor does not want to be subjected to ridiculous lines like Oram had, not without a huge payday. Fingers crossed for the Asian markets to give Covvy a winch pull from the galactic ditch!

I am heading to see the poorly reviews Tom Cruise movie The Mummy in two hours.  I let you know if I felt more entertained in that movie compared to Covenant.