‘Aliens’: Surprising Things You Never Knew About the Blockbuster Film 40 Years Later

ALIENS, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, 1986, poster art, TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./courtesy Everett Collection — 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy: Everett Collection

Two angry mothers with a horrific amount of unfinished business? No, it’s not your last family Thanksgiving; it’s James Cameron‘s toweringly tense, violent, and shocking sequel to Ridley Scott‘s Alien. In the film that truly set Sigourney Weaver up for action hero stardom, she returns as Ripley, who, waking up after 57 years in stasis, agrees to go back to LV-426, also known as Acheron, because corporate investors Weyland-Yutani lost contact with the colony of Hadley’s Hope.

Armed with a battalion of Marines, Ripley returns to the moon where the deadly xenomorphs made first contact with the crew of the USCSS Nostromo. During the mission, she discovers the corporation behind the operation has deceived her all along; their true objective is to capture the creatures and weaponize them for military use.

During her search for the colony, Ripley discovers a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn) hiding among the ruins. As they struggle to survive, the two form a powerful mother-daughter bond. After battling their way through the remains of the colony in an attempt to escape, Ripley makes one final stand against the xenomorphs. She destroys the alien queen’s eggs, enraging the creature and setting the stage for the film’s unforgettable finale.

The film stars Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser, and Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop. It made a whopping $85.2 million at the box office, and Time labeled it “The Summer’s Scariest Movie.” But did you know these other fun facts about the film?

ALIENS, from left: director James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, on set, 1986,

20th Century-Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection

Box office magic

The Aliens marketing campaign emphasized the high-octane, action-packed story and tone that were departures from the original. Aliens opened in 1,437 theaters and grossed $10.1 million in its opening weekend. It remained No. 1 at the box office for four weeks. In 1999, a special edition of Aliens was released on home video, adding 17 minutes of footage. Many fans consider it to be the definitive version.

In a 2020 ranking, ReMIND magazine declared it No. 3 on our Top 100 Sci-Fi movies list.

Sigourney’s big payday

Weaver was in high demand as an actress in the mid-1980s, and she commanded a much higher salary and took a profit participation deal for Aliens. The $11 million she earned from Aliens was roughly the same as the entire budget for Alien. In addition to the payday, Weaver received an Oscar nomination for her work.

The most quoted line was improvised

Bill Paxton’s “Game over, man! Game over!” line was totally improvised. It’s become one of the most quoted lines in sci-fi movie history and perfectly captures the character’s mindset as the mission goes south.

One-and-done role

Carrie Henn was only nine years old when she was cast as Newt, and Aliens is her only major film role. She went on to a career in education and has lived a relatively private life, though she has made occasional appearances at fan events.