Alien Enthusiasts Worldwide Celebrate Alien Day On April 26
Whether you love the idea of aliens visiting Earth or are more interested in the Sci-Fi take on this topic, April 26 is right up your alley: Happy Alien Day! Today is the second annual Alien Day, and although it’s not an official holiday, people worldwide will be celebrating in a variety of ways. This day was inspired by a minor detail from the Aliens movie, and it’s now being utilized to help ramp up viral marketing for the upcoming Alien: Covenant.
The Origins of Alien Day
Aliens was released on July 18, 1986. Alien: Covenant, which is the sixth film in the series, is scheduled to hit theaters on May 19. Therefore, it makes sense to wonder how in the world April 26 was picked for Alien Day.
The date was based on the first name that was given to the moon Acheron: LV-426. This one simple detail sparked the idea that April 26 would be the perfect time to celebrate the film series and everything related to aliens. This is similar to Star Wars fans picking May 4 as Star Wars Day because of the fun play on words related to “May the Force Be with You.”
Scheduled Events for 2017
Alien Day started in 2016 as a way to honor the 30th anniversary of Aliens. Now, one year later, fans will be treated to an immersive virtual reality experience. Alien: Covenant In Utero was released for Oculus this morning, and it offers a 360-degree journey through the birth of an alien neomorph.
Alien Universe also hosted a live global Q&A with some of the cast members of Alien: Covenant. Additionally, fans have been having movie marathons, and #alienday has become a trending topic on Twitter. This definitely showcases a lot of excitement for the series, but it remains to be seen whether or not this will translate into box office success on May 19.
Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen, it's #AlienDay. https://t.co/Gnmrv2S8Zy
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) April 26, 2017
The Future of Alien Day
It’s clear that Ridley Scott and the rest of the team behind Alien: Covenant sees the marketing potential of Alien Day. Therefore, it’s likely that this fan holiday will get bigger each year. It seems like a no-brainer to anticipate future special DVD and Blu-ray releases on April 26.
Alien Day is geared toward movie fans, but the name makes it accessible to people who simply love the idea of actual aliens. As awareness of the day grows, it may begin to encompass a wider range of alien related activities.
Fun Facts About the Film Series
Without Aliens, there would be no Alien Day. Director James Cameron took Ridley Scott’s original Alien film into bigger and bolder places, which cemented the series’ place in Sci-Fi history. The sequel made an estimated $131 million worldwide and is often considered to be better than the source material. This helps explain why Alien Day’s origins are traced to Aliens instead of Alien.
With six movies and a devoted fanbase, it’s not surprising that a holiday was eventually launched. What might be surprising, though, is the fact that Sigourney Weaver landed the role of Ripley with a single audition that lasted only three seconds. Weaver reportedly put her personality and physique on display by showing up in hot pants and thigh-high leather pants with a 3-inch heel.
This level of confidence is believed to have impressed Ridley Scott so much that he didn’t even need to hear Weaver read for the part. Interestingly, Weaver had been advised to take a completely different audition approach. Fortunately, she followed her instincts, became the Ripley fans know and love and helped catapult the series to so much acclaim that Alien Day was eventually born.
[Featured Image by Terry Robinson | Cropped and Resized | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0]
