'Outlook not so good' for a Covenant follow up - according to Forbes Film Contributor

Unless they release an extended version in Japan theaters, it will not go beyond the predictable. Only a special version there could save more money.

Forbes:

So, barring a fluke, we're probably looking at a $240 million-$260 million worldwide total.

Forbes was negative about A/C since opening weekend. i wouldn't put too much stock in their articles on it.

Either way, it doesn't help the PR for the film portion of the franchise. And, yes, Mendelson hasn't been keen on film since its domestic release. 

Well I am hoping, that this trainwreck gets turned around. There is so much left to cover in the Alien Franchise...Really want to see it get done even if it is just one more movie.

Scott Mendelssohn must've pooped his pants in the theater and gotten embarrassed when everyone made fun of him during the viewing of "Alien"...

Well, that sucks. Oh well. Soft-reboot incoming...

Click bait tripe....BUT

This franchise is dying if not dead already.

If you were in your 20's watching A L I E N, you are now in your 60's!! Heaven help you if you were 30+..... Chances are you're dead.

I never saw so many old people in my life watching a horror movie. Little old men watching Alien:Covenant. It was bizarre.

The big question is how to grow a new fan base?

It's like expecting Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan 2' ,  Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan 3' ,   Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan 4' ,  Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan 5' to work out.

By the way: Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan 4' is excellent! A clone of Khan fights Kirk in the Mutara nebula!

I think he has a point. The film was heavily marketed as an Alien film, but while plenty of creatures were present, the overall theme of the movie was more about creation, and birth. It was more abstract. This would've probably also lessened the insane expectations that people had, and the resulting social-media fuelled group-think backlash that resulted when millenials got a movie that was more a piece of art than some exposition ladden generic space-horror story.

I would not worry, RS said there is more coming and the script is being written or is already wrote.

@suwhited, yes it needs a turnaround or it will be done like a sunday dinner.

@spellboundsynapses that last sentence was the truest one ever in this forum since A:C debuted. We have Whiney "I've gotta post everything I hate on social media everywhere" "action movie" comic book fans that have to be shown everything instead of using their brains anymore. Sadly, that's where it's at nowadays.

Starlogger How many minutes in a two hour movie are about Creation? 5? 10? Just the prologue and a couple of scenes with David and Walter. You don't have a "theme" just by inserting a couple of scenes in an otherwise trite story, filled with bad dialogue and characters that don't matter.

I agree with Starlogger about what SpellboundSynapses mentioned.

The franchise is not dead, contrary to the opinions of MonsterZero and Scott Mendelson of Forbes Magazine (online).  

No no no no no no no! I refuse to believe this. I loved Prometheus and Covenant and there can't not be more. I saw Covenant in theaters FOUR times. Don't listen to the haters. I have faith in you Ridley!

The movies are enjoyable, and certainly worth the bucks to see.  However, it's undeniable that the writing, lack of continuity between films and a lack of actors with star power is hurting the franchise.

The biggest hurdle is trying to get everything back on track after some damage has been done, and then getting the public to revisit the series in the next film.

I think that the "Engineers" plot device was one of the biggest mistakes.  These beings and their world needed to be much more alien, rather than Mr Stay Puft on steroids.

I think while the movie will struggle to break even....

FOX have Green-lit a Sequel... i think they had a idea of where a sequel would go before AC was released, and i think its a case of depending on how well AC does.. will determine if this Sequel will have to Tie into Alien or if they can expand and push it into a TWO Movie set of sequels to lead to Alien.

The only thing AC Box Office will do for FOX and the next Movie is one of THESE...

1) FOX take on board some of the Failings, but put Trust into RS and the Vision they had come to at the time of Logan/Harper and what gave us Alien Covenant.   Then FOX will learn from Marketing Mistakes and Budget/Screen Time Restrictions for the Next Movie.

2) FOX will have RS try and Tie up the Franchise to Alien but maybe leave it a little Vague so Answers are there.. but then can be Questioned a bit by Fans... and then how well this Sequel does... will determine if these Vague Answers can be explored in Concrete... or if they are good enough and to move on to a Alien Sequel... or to simply LEAVE the Franchise Alone.

3) FOX will fear that maybe they need to increase Budget, but in order to risk doing this they have to bring some pulling power and bring in RIPLEY back into it... even as far as incorporate Miss Weaver in some way.