Alien Franchise Viewing Order
The Alien series includes four main films released between 1979 and 1997, plus the 2012 prequel Prometheus and the 2017 follow-up Alien: Covenant. The original 1979 film Alien, directed by Ridley Scott and produced by 20th Century Fox, established the core story of the commercial towing vehicle Nostromo and the Xenomorph creature. The franchise generated more than 1.3 billion USD in global box office across the mainline films. For a narrative timeline, start with Prometheus, then Alien: Covenant, followed by Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection. For release order, watch Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant. You can stream the films on Hulu and Disney+ in the United States, with availability varying by region. The Alien vs. Predator crossover films, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and Colin Strause, are separate from the mainline series and are not required for understanding the core story. The Alien franchise is owned by 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which acquired 21st Century Fox in March 2019 for approximately 71.3 billion USD. Read the Forbes breakdown of the Disney-Fox acquisition.
Prometheus, released in 2012, serves as a prequel exploring the origins of the Engineers and the Xenomorph species. Alien: Covenant, released in 2017, continues the prequel storyline and connects directly to the original 1979 film. The films feature a recurring synthetic character named David, played by Michael Fassbender, whose actions drive the plot of both prequels. The Alien series is rated R across all entries for sci-fi horror violence and language. The mainline films were produced by 20th Century Fox, Brandywine Productions, and Davis Entertainment. Ridley Scott returned to direct Alien: Romulus in 2024, which is set between the events of Alien and Aliens and is the eighth mainline film in the franchise. Alien: Romalus is available in theaters and on digital platforms through 20th Century Studios. Check the Forbes box office report for Alien: Romulus.
Alien TV Series and Related Content
The Alien franchise extends to television through the animated series Aliens: Colonial Marines, which is not an official canon entry, and through various comic book adaptations published by Dark Horse Comics and Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, began publishing Alien comic series in 2021, expanding the lore beyond the films. The Alien animated series Aliens: Defiance, set in 2171, is a canonical story that takes place after the events of Aliens and before Alien 3. The series consists of 12 episodes and was released digitally through Dark Horse Digital. The Alien franchise also includes the Alien: Isolation video game, developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in 2014, which is set between the events of Alien and Aliens. The game received a Metacritic score of 82 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Read the Forbes review of Alien: Isolation.
Television streaming platforms have made the Alien series widely accessible, with Hulu and Disney+ hosting the mainline films in the United States