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Alien (film)
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<p><i>Alien</i> is a 1979 <a href="/facts/Science_fiction_film/cNsrPn3y">science fiction</a> <a href="/facts/Horror_film/SYz7Le6p">horror film</a> directed by <a href="/facts/Ridley_Scott/cop0oqMc">Ridley Scott</a> and written by <a href="/facts/Dan_O%27Bannon/nMRxguN1">Dan O'Bannon</a>, based on a story by O'Bannon and <a href="/facts/Ronald_Shusett/1qxV88QR">Ronald Shusett</a>. It follows a spaceship crew who investigate a derelict spaceship and are hunted by a <a href="/facts/Xenomorph/mIoXfluI">deadly extraterrestrial creature</a>. The film stars <a href="/facts/Tom_Skerritt/I0GacwKA">Tom Skerritt</a>, <a href="/facts/Sigourney_Weaver/9h8cHhEV">Sigourney Weaver</a>, <a href="/facts/Veronica_Cartwright/e039H8hU">Veronica Cartwright</a>, <a href="/facts/Harry_Dean_Stanton/qK5NpT3k">Harry Dean Stanton</a>, <a href="/facts/John_Hurt/Kw4DGsRJ">John Hurt</a>, <a href="/facts/Ian_Holm/Yz3gdgFX">Ian Holm</a>, and <a href="/facts/Yaphet_Kotto/yeIz883s">Yaphet Kotto</a>. It was produced by <a href="/facts/Gordon_Carroll/zw61b56b">Gordon Carroll</a>, <a href="/facts/David_Giler/67pdhp47">David Giler</a>, and <a href="/facts/Walter_Hill_(director)/buJmC8yH">Walter Hill</a> through their company <a href="/facts/Brandywine_Productions/Rbpq5pRo">Brandywine Productions</a> and was distributed by <a href="/facts/20th_Century-Fox/vd5eeD3S">20th Century-Fox</a>. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was the executive producer. The alien creatures and environments were designed by the Swiss artist <a href="/facts/H._R._Giger/tM7P5fXV">H. R. Giger</a>, while the concept artists <a href="/facts/Ron_Cobb/yepfFysC">Ron Cobb</a> and <a href="/facts/Chris_Foss/UGrmdrDA">Chris Foss</a> designed the other sets. </p><p><i>Alien</i> premiered on May 25, 1979, the opening night of the fourth <a href="/facts/Seattle_International_Film_Festival/1yb2Pjzy">Seattle International Film Festival</a>. It received a <a href="/facts/Wide_release/ChJh6N1t">wide release</a> on June 22 and was released on September 6 in the United Kingdom. It initially received mixed reviews, but won the <a href="/facts/Academy_Award_for_Best_Visual_Effects/GgtNDdtQ">Academy Award for Best Visual Effects</a>, three <a href="/facts/Saturn_Award/gDUeo1b4">Saturn Awards</a> (<a href="/facts/Saturn_Award_for_Best_Science_Fiction_Film/464Uye0P">Best Science Fiction Film</a>, <a href="/facts/Saturn_Award_for_Best_Direction/dJVFJucV">Best Direction</a> for Scott, and <a href="/facts/Saturn_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actress/D2c4kd8I">Best Supporting Actress</a> for Cartwright), and a <a href="/facts/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Dramatic_Presentation/3SzMdNxv">Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation</a>. <i>Alien</i> grossed $78.9 million in the United States and £7.8 million in the United Kingdom during its first theatrical run. Its worldwide gross to date has been estimated at between $104 million and $203 million. </p><p>In subsequent years, <i>Alien</i> was critically reassessed and is now considered one of the greatest and most influential science fiction and horror films of all time. In 2002, <i>Alien</i> was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the <a href="/facts/Library_of_Congress/TfB6dEN5">Library of Congress</a> and was selected for preservation in the United States <a href="/facts/National_Film_Registry/HGoP1Mre">National Film Registry</a>. In 2008, it was ranked by the <a href="/facts/American_Film_Institute/DhNpmV60">American Film Institute</a> as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre, and as the 33rd-greatest film of all time by <i><a href="/facts/Empire_(film_magazine)/KhGMQFVh">Empire</a></i>. The success of <i>Alien</i> spawned <a href="/facts/Alien_(franchise)/hnqNWNKa">a media franchise of films, books, video games, and toys</a>, and propelled Weaver's acting career. The story of <a href="/facts/Ellen_Ripley/6j0Kdu6x">her character</a>'s encounters with the alien creatures became the thematic and narrative core of the sequels <i><a href="/facts/Aliens_(film)/FJW5xQsI">Aliens</a></i> (1986), <i><a href="/facts/Alien_3/Vo1TPVnj">Alien 3</a></i> (1992), and <i><a href="/facts/Alien_Resurrection/hN3sN9xc">Alien Resurrection</a></i> (1997). A crossover with the <i><a href="/facts/Predator_(franchise)/yEzrS7Pz">Predator</a></i> franchise produced the <i><a href="/facts/Alien_vs._Predator/hVh4aP5P">Alien vs. Predator</a></i> films, while a <a href="/facts/Alien_(franchise)/hnqNWNKa">two-film prequel series</a> was directed by Scott before <i><a href="/facts/Alien:_Romulus/1TagbyJ0">Alien: Romulus</a></i> (2024), a standalone sequel, was released. A television prequel written by <a href="/facts/Noah_Hawley/Wcpyk0sT">Noah Hawley</a> and produced by Scott, <i><a href="/facts/Alien:_Earth/jCmjVW71">Alien: Earth</a></i>, will premiere on <a href="/facts/FX_on_Hulu/YWglwVRT">FX on Hulu</a> in 2025. </p>