Two Of The Greatest Sci-Fi Franchises Ever See Crossover Movies Surge As Late Night Streaming Hits

Published Apr 8, 2026, 10:32 PM EDT

Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant.

Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. 

Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show.

Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far.

She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism.

During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it.

Landing at #9 and #10 on HBO Max’s Top 10 Movies chart, Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem are proving that even mid-2000s crossovers can find new life in the streaming era. While neither film was a major critical success at the time of release, their simultaneous presence in the top 10 signals strong viewer curiosity and that the franchises' legacies outweigh their critics.

Ranking back-to-back also implies that audiences could be watching them as a double feature. Their performance showcases how streaming platforms can revive older titles by introducing them to a new generation of viewers, as well as recapturing the attention of the franchises' older fans.

Additionally, the visibility of these movies on streaming platforms may be influenced by ongoing interest in both franchises. New entries, prequels, and reboots in the Alien and Predator universes, such as Alien: Earth and Predator: Badlands, have kept the properties relevant. The likely encouraged viewers to revisit earlier installments, including Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.

The first film, Alien vs. Predator, follows Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen), who organizes an expedition to Antarctica after satellites detect an unusual heat signature beneath the ice. Together, with their guide Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan), they discover an ancient pyramid buried deep below the surface. Inside, they encounter deadly Xenomorphs. At the same time, Predators arrive to hunt the creatures as part of a ritualistic challenge. The humans are caught between the two species, struggling to survive as the conflict escalates.

The sequel, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, moves the setting to a small town, Gunnison, Colorado. After a Predator ship crashes on Earth, a hybrid creature known as a Predalien begins spreading an Alien infestation. A lone Predator is dispatched to contain the outbreak, using advanced weaponry and tactics to eliminate both the Aliens and any evidence of their presence. Meanwhile, residents find themselves in the middle of a rapidly escalating extraterrestrial conflict, facing threats from both sides.

Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem can now be streamed on HBO Max.

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  Created by Jim Thomas, John Thomas

  First Film Predator

  Cast Carl Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Peter Hall, Peter Cullen, Derek Mears, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Françoise Yip, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers

  Movie(s) Predator, Predator 2, Predators, Predator, Prey

  Video Game(s) Predator: Hunting Grounds, Predator: Concrete Jungle

  Predator is an action sci-fi franchise created by Jim and John Thomas, beginning with the original film released in 1987. The franchise follows a warrior alien race known as the Yautja who travel the far reaches of space looking for worthy prey to hunt, constantly bringing them to Earth due to the sheer amount of conflict harbored on it. The series has spun off into comic books and animated features and has even enjoyed several crossover events via film and video games with the Aliens franchise.

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  Movie(s) Alien, Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024)

  Created by Ridley Scott

  First Film Alien

  Latest Film Alien: Romulus

  Upcoming TV Shows Alien: Earth

  Cast Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Pete Postlethwaite, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir

  The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott's 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity's encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.