ALIEN: COVENANT IS A HO-HUM NO. 1 AT THE BOX OFFICE

The eighth chapter in 20th Century Fox’s Alien series arrived to an estimated $36 million in ticket sales in North America — far from a flop, far from a sizzling hit. Alien: Covenant, as the latest film is titled, cost roughly $100 million to make, and has taken in an additional $30.3 million overseas. Unless strong word of mouth propels Alien: Covenant to big ticket sales in the weeks to come, the film may become the latest example of audience pushback on long-in-the-tooth film franchises. The domestic opening total was the third highest for the “Alien” series, which first thrilled moviegoers in 1979 with its surrealist central creature and sense of escalating dread. Prometheus, a 2012 prequel, arrived to $55.1 million, after adjusting for inflation. Alien vs. Predator had $50.6 million in 2004.