Ridley Scott’s First Sci-Fi Masterpiece Is Taking Over Streaming
Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien has surged back into VOD top 10 charts in several countries, despite having no streaming home, as fans rent or buy the sci-fi classic on Prime Video and Apple TV. The renewed interest comes as Scott, who directed the film nearly 50 years ago, prepares to return to the sci-fi genre after a decade away with his upcoming movie The Dog Stars.
The Dog Stars, starring Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley, is due in cinemas on 28 August. Scott has spent recent years focused on historical epics, including Gladiator II and the poorly received Napoleon, which later found a streaming audience after underperforming at the box office on its $200 million budget. Alien remains hugely influential, having spawned an ongoing franchise on which Scott continues to serve as producer, though it currently cannot be streamed via subscription and must be rented or purchased digitally.
- Alien has re-entered VOD top 10 charts in multiple countries
- Film currently only available to rent/buy, not stream
- Ridley Scott returns to sci-fi with The Dog Stars, out 28 August
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Fans and critics have been re-watching Alien, Ridley Scott's 1979 science fiction horror film about a spacecraft crew hunted by a deadly extraterrestrial creature. Although it never got a modern streaming home, it has recently jumped up rental and purchase charts on services such as Prime Video and Apple TV, showing that a near 50-year-old film can still draw a large digital audience.
The renewed interest coincides with Scott's return to science fiction after a decade spent mostly on historical films, including Napoleon and Gladiator II. His new film, The Dog Stars, stars Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley and is set for cinema release on 28 August. Scott directed Alien early in his career and remains involved with the franchise it inspired, now serving as a producer on later instalments.
The story matters because it touches on how older films find new audiences through digital rental and purchase even without a subscription streaming deal, and because it places Scott's upcoming project in the context of his long history with the genre that first made his name.