In December 2017,Disneyannounced one of their most massive deals of all time. They would take over 21st Century Fox, an American movie studio founded in 1935 after a Great Depression-era merger of Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Studios. After its 2017 announcement,the Fox deal was finalized in March 2019.This would give Disney control of the production and distribution of all of Fox’s major franchises, as well as access to all the company’s movie and TV library.
The closing of theFox dealcame nearly a decade after Disney also acquired Marvel Studios. This gave them the control to shape the superhero franchise’s main content, but the Fox deal expanded that even more. Fox had rights to certainMarvel charactersand stories such asX-Men. TheDisney acquisition meant that the Mickey Mouse company could fully handle the MCU content, including both the mainline and Fox-owned content. In this massive Fox deal, however, a different franchise seems to be the clear winner.
What’s Worked & What Hasn’t After Disney Bought Fox
Planet Of The Apes Was A Mixed Bag
In the first six years of the Fox deal, there have been some clear winners and losers. ThePlanet of the Apesreboot was a mixed bag for Disney.War for the Planet of the Apeswas one of Fox’s last big franchise films before the company’s acquisition, and it did well with critics and at the box office.Last year saw the firstPlanet of the Apesmoviesince Disney took over, withKingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This film had more mixed reviews when compared to its predecessor and made far less money.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesmade $397.3 million worldwide, whileWar for the Planet of the Apesbrought home $490.7 million worldwide.
Other franchises formerly owned by Fox have done incredibly well. This includesAvatar: The Way of Water, which made a record-setting $2.3 billion worldwide. The MCU content has also been pretty big, including last year’sDeadpool and Wolverine. However,these successes cannot solely be attributed to Disney.In both cases, these franchises were thriving beforehand and would have been successful regardless. Time will also tell howFantastic Fourand furtherX-Menwill turn out now that Disney is in control.
Disney Has Brilliantly Revived Both The Alien & Predator Franchises
Despite a small hiccup withPlanet of the Apes, there are two franchises that Disney has truly brought back to life. These are thePredatorandAlienfranchises. In both cases,these Fox franchises seemed relatively dead before the Disney deal.Alien: Covenantwas released in 2017 and didn’t do so well commercially. The installment made just $240.8 million worldwide, and on an estimated $97 million budget, that does not cut it to form a significant profit. The movie also did not do very well among critics, getting a mixed 65% Tomatometer.
The 2022 moviePreynever hit theaters, but even as a Hulu exclusive, it was a huge hit with critics and audiences.
However, the interest completely changed last year with the release ofAlien: Romulus. The film has a Certified Fresh 80% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, withScreenRant’s Graeme Guttmanngiving it 7 out of 10 stars, writing that “Romulus feels like a classic Alien movie.” The film was better received than even the likes of 2012’s Ridley Scott filmPrometheus.Romulusmade $350.8 million on an estimated $80 million budget, turning a profit and becoming one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.
Preyhad a similar success story. WhileCovenantlowered some audience’s faith in theAlienfranchise, thePredatormovies were in even more dire straits. 2018’sThe Predatorvastly underperformed, as did the 21st Century’s otherPredator-exclusive film,Predators. The2022 moviePreynever hit theaters, but even as a Hulu exclusive, it was a huge hit with critics and audiences. With this movie, Disney did the same thing they managed to do withAlien: Romuluslast year;they made the best movie in the franchise since the 1980s.Both instances were remarkable franchise restorations, rejuvenating interest in them.
Both Franchises Now Have Exciting Futures Under Disney
The Predator Franchise Just Released A Great Film
Not only are theAlienandPredatorfranchises alive again, but they have immediate and exciting futures. The post-Preylegacy is active right now, as thePredatorseries had a franchise first with the Hulu release of the adult animated filmPredator: Killer of Killers. Thismovie was the best-rated movie in the entirePredatorfranchise. It builds up the hype forPredator: Badlands, which is set for release later this year. In addition to these two 2025 releases, aPreysequel is also in development.
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On the other hand, theAlienfranchise is set to expand into the TV landscape withAlien: Earth.Romulusis also set to get a sequel, continuing the storyline of the well-reviewed 2024 film. Both of these busy slates show that Disney has not only made new films in each franchise, but it has boosted the health of each series. Given thePredatorandAlientrack records, beforeDisneybought Fox, this is not the win I expected, but it makes for some thrilling franchise development.
