Alien: Earthis the latest installment of the iconic horror franchise, and the show’s early reception couldn’t have gone much better. Having had success on the big screen alongside the video game world,Alienfinally dipped its toes into the world of television, and its latest project has come tantalizingly close to breaking a long-standing franchise record.
WithAlien: Earth’s trailer teasing new creaturesand perfectly capturing the series' unsettling tone, it’s no surprise that the reviews are so positive ahead of the project’s release next week. Critics have been praising the show’s atmosphere while admiring its ability to tell a fresh story that still fits into the widerAlienuniverse.
Assuming audiences have a similar reaction, it looks likeAlien: Earthwill be a massive success and change the franchiseforever by showing it can thrive in almost any medium. Unfortunately, despite the impressive feedback, the prequel has fallen just short of becomingAlien’s best entry according to Rotten Tomatoes, but it isn’t far away.
Alien: Earth Nearly Beat The Alien Movie Franchise Record On Rotten Tomatoes
Alien’s First TV Show Sits At 90% On Rotten Tomatoes, Falling Just Short Of The Franchise’s Best Entries
Given how renowned the sci-fi franchise is, it seemed almost impossible for a new entry to surpass classic movies like 1979’sAlienor 1986’sAliens, but the new show nearly managed it. Although it is yet to be officially released,Alien: Earthhas accrued a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, just 3% behindAliensand 4% behindAlien.
After an impressive debut last year,Alien: Romulusset up a future sequeland proved the franchise still had plenty to offer, setting a high bar for modern projects. Remarkably,Alien: Earthhas smashed the 2024 movie’s score, earning a 10% higher rating, which instantly cemented the show as one of the best additions to theAlienseries.
While the rating could still go up or down, it’s hard to imagine a big enough swing to take over the two films ahead of it, or fall belowRomulus, putting it among the top three projects inAlien’s live-action universe. However, if it does receive a second season, there is a chance thatAlien: Earthcould eventually claim the top spot.
Alien: Earth’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is A Great Sign For The Franchise
The Positive Reception Suggests Alien Can Have A Strong Future On TV As Well As Film
After a long period of struggling, it seems likeAlienis finally back to its best withAlien: Earthcontinuing the franchise’s recent momentum. AlthoughAliensproved to be a worthy sequel to Ridley Scott’s original movie, the series suffered a succession of critical disappointments untilPrometheusended a near three-decade rotten streak.
Even then, the 73% score and 68% audience rating suggested reviews were still mixed, but withAlien: Earthfollowing up onRomulus' success, it seems likeAlienis once again heading in a positive direction. The gritty tone and interesting premise that made the original movies so great have returned, and knowing the franchise can comfortably transition to TV is an excellent sign.
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73%
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Alien: Earth(2025)
90%
Alien’s suspenseful atmosphere once seemed exclusive to the big screen, butAlien: Earthproved this isn’t the case, opening up all kinds of new stories. This also means some ofAlien’s best charactershave a variety of ways to return, proving how vital the new show is to revitalizing the franchise and helping it move forward.
