Alien (1979): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Where to Watch
Alien is a 1979 sci-fi horror film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Skerritt, John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright. It runs 1 hour 57 minutes and earned $109.1 million worldwide on a $11 million budget. Critics gave it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 89 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.5/10. Stream it on Netflix, or rent or buy it on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 57m (117 min)
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Budget
- $11M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Alien About?
The premise of Alien without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A team of astronauts investigates a distress signal from a remote planet, only to encounter a deadly extraterrestrial threat. The terrifying creature stalks and hunts the crew of their spaceship, leading to a desperate fight for survival as they struggle to understand the nature of the alien and escape its deadly pursuit. The film is a chilling and suspenseful science fiction horror masterpiece.
Alien Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- alien
- outer space
- spaceship
- survival horror
- monster
- minimal cast
- space travel
- android
- survival
- first of series
- sole survivor
- xenomorph
+38 more Show fewer
- cat
- computer
- ellen ripley character
- gore
- claustrophobic setting
- 22nd century
- one word title
- creature feature
- alien egg
- acid
- alien monster
- trapped
- blood
- alien parasite
- spacesuit
- title spoken by character
- flamethrower
- technology
- spacecraft
- escape
- trapped in space
- human body as an alien host
- fear
- egg
- first part
- exploding spaceship
- airlock
- monster movie
- vomiting
- monster horror
- 2120s
- incubation
- human versus alien
- alien contact
- science officer
- techne
- android pretends to be human
- planet
Where to Watch Alien
Stream it on Netflix, or rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. US availability and prices from JustWatch.
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Alien Cast
Tom Skerritt leads the cast, with John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright. Directed by Ridley Scott; 10 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Ridley Scott
Also Starring in Alien
· 6 moreAlien Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Alien 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 89 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.5/10.
-
IMDb 8.5 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 93% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 94%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 89 Metascore
User score 8.9
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 82% User score
See on TMDB
Alien Plot Summary
What happens in Alien from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The Nostromo, a commercial towing spaceship, embarks on its journey back to Earth after hauling a massive refinery along with twenty million tons of mineral ore. The ship’s crew, consisting of seven members, is in stasis during the return trip. Suddenly, an unknown transmission from a nearby Planetoid prompts the ship’s computer to wake the crew. Following orders from their corporate employers, the crew detaches the Nostromo from the refinery to investigate, leading to some damage upon landing.
Full summary
The whole story of Alien, scene by scene
Alien Box Office & Budget
Alien grossed $109.1 million worldwide on a $11 million budget, 9.9 times what it cost. $84.2 million came from the US and Canada and $24.9 million (23%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$109.1M
9.9× its budget
- US & Canada
- $84.2M
- International
- $24.9M
- Budget
- $11M
Alien Trailers & Videos
42 videos: 3 trailers, 2 teasers, 4 clips, 24 featurettes and 9 behind-the-scenes videos.
- Trailer #TBT Trailer
- Trailer Modern Trailer
- Teaser 40th Anniversary Spot
- Teaser Back In Theaters April 26
How Well Do You Know Alien?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the spaceship in Alien?
Cars in Alien
2 cars on screen: the unknown and the unknown.
-
unknown Background role -
unknown Background role
Alien Also Known As
55 alternative titles, including “Alien - O Oitavo Passageiro” and “Alien: The Director's Cut”.
- Also known as
-
- Alien - O Oitavo Passageiro
- Alien: The Director's Cut
- Alien, el 8º pasajero
- Alien - den åttonde passageraren
- Alien, o Oitavo Passageiro
- Alien, le 8ème passager
- Alien 1
- Alien: Das unheimliche Wesen aus einer fremden Welt
- 異形
- Obcy
- Obcy: 8 Pasażer Nostromo
- Alien: O 8º Passageiro
+43 more Show fewer
- Alien - O 8º Passageiro
- 异形1
- Alien : Le 8e Passager
- Tulnukas
- Alien - kahdeksas matkustaja
- بیگانه ۱
- Nyolcadik utas: a Halál
- エイリアン：1979
- Quái Vật Không Gian
- Alien - den 8. passasjer
- Star Beast
- Yadplanetli
- エイリアン
- Alien 1 - Das Unheimliche Wesen Aus Einer Fremden Welt (1979)
- Alien I Directors Cut
- Obcy – ósmy pasażer Nostromo
- Obcy 8. pasażer "Nostromo"
- Alien, le huitième passager
- Alien - Das unheimliche Wesen aus einer fremden Welt
- Чужой
- Alien, el octavo pasajero
- Votrelec
- Vetřelec
- 异形
- Yaratık
- Alien - A Nyolcadik utas: a Halál
- Alien - O 8.º Passageiro
- Alien - den 8. passager
- Alien: Osmi putnik
- הנוסע השמיני
- Пришълецът
- Осми путник
- Άλιεν: Ο Επιβάτης του Διαστήματος
- Чужий
- 에이리언
- بیگانه
- Alien: O Oitavo Passageiro
- Alien - den 8. passasjeren
- เอเลี่ยน
- Svešais
- Svetimas
- Alien: El Octavo Pasajero
- Osmi potnik, უცხო
Seen Alien?
Movies Like Alien
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Alien: Romulus, Aliens and Alien: Harvest.
Alien FAQ: Where to Watch, Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, where to watch, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of Alien, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Alien?
Alien runs 1 hour 57 minutes (117 minutes).
When was Alien released?
Alien was released on June 22, 1979.
Who directed Alien?
Alien was directed by Ridley Scott.
More films by Ridley Scott Who is in the cast of Alien?
Alien stars Tom Skerritt, John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright, among 10 credited actors.
Where can I watch Alien?
In the US, Alien is streaming on Netflix and available to rent or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home (availability from JustWatch).
How much did Alien make at the box office?
Alien grossed $109.1 million worldwide ($84.2 million domestic, $24.9 million international) on a budget of $11 million.
How is Alien rated?
Alien has 8.5/10 on IMDb, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89 on Metacritic and 82% on TMDB.
Does Alien have a post-credit scene?
No. Alien has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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