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Alien (film) - Quiz
Contributed by: Blake
  • 1. How many theaters in the United States did the film open in?
A) 51
B) 148
C) 635
D) 90
  • 2. How much did the film gross over the four-day Memorial Day weekend?
A) $16.5 million
B) $3,527,881
C) $78.9 million
D) $27 million
  • 3. For how many weeks did the film remain the number one film in the United States?
A) 8 weeks
B) 4 weeks
C) 3 weeks
D) 11 months
  • 4. In which UK cinema did the film hold its opening week?
A) Leicester Palace
B) Odeon Leicester Square
C) British Film Institute
D) Odeon London
  • 5. How much did the film gross in its opening week at the Odeon Leicester Square?
A) $38,767
B) £71,988
C) £7,886,000
D) $3.7 million
  • 6. For how many weeks did the film remain the number one film in the UK?
A) 3 weeks
B) 4 weeks
C) 8 weeks
D) 11 months
  • 7. How much had the film grossed internationally by the beginning of October 1979?
A) $27 million
B) $143 million
C) $16.9 million
D) $78.9 million
  • 8. Which country saw a gross of $16.9 million by October 1979?
A) France
B) Japan
C) United Kingdom
D) Canada
  • 9. What was the total United States gross for the film including reissues?
A) $143 million
B) $78.9 million
C) $81.8 million
D) $16.5 million
  • 10. What figure did Fox note as the worldwide gross in 1992?
A) $143 million
B) $81.8 million
C) $188 million
D) $109.7 million
  • 11. According to the text, how much money did 20th Century Fox claim the film lost in the 11 months following release?
A) $78.9 million
B) $16.5 million
C) $2 million
D) $4 million
  • 12. What reason did industry accountants give for Fox's claim of financial loss?
A) Low theater attendance
B) Hollywood creative accounting
C) Poor international sales
D) High production costs
  • 13. By August 1980, what did Fox readjust the profit figure to?
A) $4 million profit
B) $2 million loss
C) $0 profit
D) $81.8 million profit
  • 14. In what year was the lawsuit between Brandywine and Fox settled?
A) 1979
B) 1983
C) 1980
D) 1992
  • 15. What did Fox agree to do as part of the 1983 lawsuit settlement?
A) Acknowledge the $143 million gross
B) Distribute more prints
C) Release the film in more theaters
D) Fund a sequel
  • 16. How many prints were used in the first 4 weeks to gross $16.5 million?
A) 635 prints
B) 90 prints
C) 51 prints
D) 148 prints
  • 17. How many screens did the film eventually expand to after its first 4 weeks?
A) 148 screens
B) 635 screens
C) 90 screens
D) 51 screens
  • 18. What was the per-screen average for the opening weekend?
A) $16.5 million
B) $3,527,881
C) $38,767
D) $27 million
  • 19. Who played the character Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo?
A) Sigourney Weaver
B) Tom Skerritt
C) John Hurt
D) Ian Holm
  • 20. Why did Tom Skerritt initially decline the role of Dallas?
A) The film had no director and a low budget
B) He was already committed to another project
C) He was unavailable for the filming dates
D) He did not like the script
  • 21. Which actress was considered for the role of Ripley but was not contacted due to her partner's death?
A) Meryl Streep
B) Veronica Cartwright
C) Helen Mirren
D) Helen Horton
  • 22. Who was the last actor to be cast for the film Alien?
A) Tom Skerritt
B) Veronica Cartwright
C) Sigourney Weaver
D) John Hurt
  • 23. Which role was Veronica Cartwright originally reading for?
A) Ripley
B) Ash
C) Lambert
D) Mother
  • 24. What award did Veronica Cartwright win for her performance as Lambert?
A) Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
B) Saturn Award for Best Actress
C) BAFTA Award for Best Actress
D) Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
  • 25. What was Harry Dean Stanton's initial reaction when auditioning for the role of Brett?
A) He said he did not like sci-fi or monster movies
B) He insisted on changing the script
C) He wanted to play the alien
D) He requested a higher salary
  • 26. To which film genre did Ridley Scott compare Alien to convince Harry Dean Stanton to join?
A) Romance
B) Comedy
C) Western
D) Thriller
  • 27. Who was Ridley Scott's first choice for the role of Kane?
A) John Hurt
B) Ian Holm
C) Jon Finch
D) Tom Skerritt
  • 28. Why was Jon Finch replaced as Kane?
A) He had a schedule conflict
B) He became ill with diabetes and bronchitis
C) He quit the production
D) He disliked the script
  • 29. Which actor played the ship's science officer, Ash?
A) Yaphet Kotto
B) Harry Dean Stanton
C) Ian Holm
D) Tom Skerritt
  • 30. Which Bond film was Yaphet Kotto famous for before being cast as Parker?
A) Dr. No
B) The Man with the Golden Gun
C) Goldfinger
D) Live and Let Die
  • 31. What was Bolaji Badejo's occupation when he was discovered?
A) Bartender
B) Design student
C) Stuntman
D) Actor
  • 32. Besides Bolaji Badejo, who else portrayed the alien in some scenes?
A) Eddie Powell and Roy Scammell
B) Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto
C) Helen Horton and Veronica Cartwright
D) Tom Skerritt and John Hurt
  • 33. Who provided the voice for Mother, the computer of the Nostromo?
A) Helen Horton
B) Ridley Scott
C) Veronica Cartwright
D) Sigourney Weaver
  • 34. Who directed the 1979 film Alien?
A) Ridley Scott
B) Dan O'Bannon
C) Ronald Shusett
D) Walter Hill
  • 35. Who designed the alien creatures and environments for the film?
A) Ron Cobb
B) Chris Foss
C) Dan O'Bannon
D) H. R. Giger
  • 36. When did Alien premiere?
A) May 24, 1979
B) August 12, 2025
C) June 22, 1979
D) September 6, 1979
  • 37. What is the name of the commercial space tug in the film?
A) Romulus
B) Nostromo
C) Earth
D) Derelict
  • 38. Who plays the role of the ship's cat, Jones, in terms of ownership?
A) Dallas
B) The crew
C) Ripley
D) Ash
  • 39. What does Ripley discover the transmission from the exomoon actually is?
A) A distress call for help
B) An SOS signal
C) A warning beacon
D) A commercial advertisement
  • 40. What happens when Kane touches one of the large eggs?
A) The egg disintegrates into acid
B) The alien creature bursts out
C) An arthropod-like life form attaches to his face
D) It explodes immediately
  • 41. Who kills Brett in the landing leg compartment?
A) Dallas
B) The fully-grown alien
C) Ash
D) Parker
  • 42. How does Ripley eventually defeat the alien at the end of the film?
A) By shooting it with a grappling hook gun
B) By trapping it in the self-destructing Nostromo
C) By incinerating it with a flamethrower
D) By blasting it into space through the shuttle engines
  • 43. Which film was released in 2024 as a standalone sequel in the franchise?
A) Alien: Earth
B) Aliens
C) Alien: Romulus
D) Alien Resurrection
  • 44. In what year was Alien selected for preservation in the National Film Registry?
A) 1997
B) 2008
C) 1979
D) 2002
  • 45. What was the name of the television prequel written by Noah Hawley?
A) Alien: Origins
B) Alien: Earth
C) Alien: Nostromo
D) Alien: The Beginning
  • 46. Who is the executive officer on the Nostromo?
A) Kane
B) Dallas
C) Ripley
D) Ash
  • 47. What is the name of the ship's computer?
A) Father
B) Nostromo
C) System
D) Mother
  • 48. Which film did Dan O'Bannon create while studying at the University of Southern California?
A) Dark Star
B) Total Recall
C) Alien
D) Star Beast
  • 49. What did Dan O'Bannon use to create the alien in Dark Star?
A) A puppet
B) A beach ball
C) A rubber mask
D) A clay model
  • 50. Who collaborated with O'Bannon on the script for Alien?
A) David Giler
B) Walter Hill
C) John Carpenter
D) Ronald Shusett
  • 51. What was the initial working title of the script before it was called Alien?
A) Dark Star II
B) The Thing
C) Star Beast
D) Memory
  • 52. Which film project took O'Bannon to Paris for six months?
A) Dune
B) Total Recall
C) Alien
D) Dark Star
  • 53. Which film inspired the idea of a ship being warned not to land?
A) Planet of the Vampires
B) Forbidden Planet
C) The Thing from Another World
D) Dark Star
  • 54. Which short story inspired the idea of a crew discovering a chamber full of eggs?
A) Forbidden Planet
B) Strange Relations
C) Junkyard
D) The Thing from Another World
  • 55. Which production company did Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill form?
A) 20th Century-Fox
B) Star Beast Studios
C) Brandywine
D) USC Productions
  • 56. Who received sole credit for the screenplay from the Writers Guild of America?
A) Dan O'Bannon
B) Walter Hill
C) Ronald Shusett
D) David Giler
  • 57. What was the original 29-page script written by O'Bannon titled?
A) Star Beast
B) Memory
C) Dark Star
D) Alien
  • 58. Which film directed by Ridley Scott impressed the producers enough to hire him for Alien?
A) The Duellists
B) Gladiator
C) Thelma & Louise
D) Blade Runner
  • 59. What did Ridley Scott create that convinced Fox to double the budget?
A) Detailed storyboards
B) A full-scale ship model
C) A cast list of famous actors
D) A rewritten script
  • 60. How did Ridley Scott describe his vision for Alien?
A) A gritty political thriller
B) A space-age fairy tale
C) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre of science fiction
D) A documentary of the future
  • 61. Who suggested that the character of Ripley be a woman?
A) Shusett
B) O'Bannon
C) Ladd
D) Scott
  • 62. Who was the casting director for the United Kingdom?
A) Ridley Scott
B) Mary Selway
C) Brandywine team
D) Mary Goldberg
  • 63. Who was the casting director for the United States?
A) Mary Goldberg
B) O'Bannon
C) Ridley Scott
D) Mary Selway
  • 64. Which director was interested in Alien but could not commit due to prior obligations?
A) John Boorman
B) Steven Spielberg
C) Robert Aldrich
D) Robert Altman
  • 65. What was the total number of human characters in the story?
A) Five
B) Nine
C) Seven
D) Twelve
  • 66. Who created the 1/24-scale miniatures of the planetoid?
A) Derek Vanlint
B) H.R. Giger
C) Ridley Scott
D) Les Dilley
  • 67. What technology was used for the visuals on the Nostromo's bridge screens?
A) Physical light-up panels
B) Computer-generated imagery
C) Practical rear-projection
D) Hand-painted glass slides
  • 68. What did Ridley Scott want the alien to do in his original idea for the fourth act?
A) Self-destruct the shuttle
B) Bite off Ripley's head
C) Kill all the cats
D) Escape the shuttle and fly away
  • 69. What was the length of the landing leg constructed for the exterior of the Nostromo?
A) 45 feet
B) 20 feet
C) 58 feet
D) 75 feet
  • 70. How many craftspeople and technicians worked on the three principal sets?
A) Exactly 100
B) Over 200
C) Under 50
D) Over 500
  • 71. Who was the sound effects editor for Alien?
A) Ridley Scott
B) Jerry Goldsmith
C) Terry Rawlings
D) Dan O'Bannon
  • 72. Who composed the musical score for Alien?
A) Jerry Goldsmith
B) Lionel Newman
C) Howard Hanson
D) Isao Tomita
  • 73. What material was used for the movement inside the egg in the scene where Kane inspects it?
A) Remote controlled puppetry
B) Mechanical motors
C) Scott's hands wearing rubber gloves
D) Live insects
  • 74. What was used to create the proboscis of the facehugger?
A) Fiber optics
B) Rubber tubing
C) A sheep's intestine
D) A cow's stomach
  • 75. Who came up with the idea that the alien creature should have acid for blood?
A) Ron Cobb
B) Ridley Scott
C) H. R. Giger
D) Dan O'Bannon
  • 76. What inspired the design of the chestburster?
A) A plucked chicken
B) A medical textbook
C) Francis Bacon's 1944 painting
D) Giger's dreams
  • 77. Which actor fell into hysterics during the chestburster scene?
A) Tom Skerritt
B) Ian Holm
C) Cartwright
D) John Hurt
  • 78. What happened to the animatronic head of Ash during production?
A) It caught fire
B) It failed to move on command
C) The latex shrank while curing
D) It was damaged during filming
  • 79. What material did Giger use to sculpt the alien's body?
A) Plasticine
B) Latex
C) Clay
D) Plaster
  • 80. Which vehicle part was incorporated into the alien's body construction?
A) Cooling tubes from a Rolls-Royce
B) Transmission gears from a Ferrari
C) Brake pads from a Porsche
D) Engine block from a Ford
  • 81. Who manufactured the alien's head?
A) Ridley Scott
B) H.R. Giger
C) Bolaji Badejo
D) Carlo Rambaldi
  • 82. How many moving parts and points of articulation did the final alien head have?
A) About 1,200
B) About 250
C) About 900
D) About 500
  • 83. Where is Rambaldi's original alien jaw currently on display?
A) Museum of Modern Art
B) Hollywood History Museum
C) Smithsonian Institution
D) British Film Institute
  • 84. What substance was used to make the alien appear slimy?
A) Glycerin
B) Petroleum jelly
C) Mineral oil
D) K-Y Jelly
  • 85. Who provided the vocalizations for the alien?
A) Ridley Scott
B) Carlo Rambaldi
C) Percy Edwards
D) Bolaji Badejo
  • 86. Who portrayed the alien in most of the film's scenes?
A) Eddie Powell
B) John Hurt
C) Roy Scammell
D) Bolaji Badejo
  • 87. What animal parts were used in the sculpture of the alien's body?
A) Ribs from lizards
B) Vertebrae from snakes
C) Teeth from sharks
D) Skull fragments of birds
  • 88. In what month and year was the original alien suit sold at auction?
A) April 2007
B) March 2005
C) May 2009
D) June 2010
  • 89. Which creature did Percy Edwards provide sounds for in 1977?
A) A predator in Jaws
B) A whale in Orca
C) A gorilla in King Kong
D) A dinosaur in Godzilla
  • 90. How did Tim Dirks describe the alien's mouth?
A) Jagged, metallic crushing mouth
B) Slimy, insect-like mandibles
C) Protruding, snake-like tongue
D) Open, dripping vaginal mouth
  • 91. What did Roger Christian use to create the Nostromo's corridors to save money?
A) Leftover materials from the Star Wars sets.
B) Recycled cardboard and industrial foam.
C) Scrapped Canberra bomber aircraft parts.
D) Spare parts from abandoned naval ships.
  • 92. The name of the Nostromo was derived from which author's work?
A) H.G. Wells.
B) Ron Cobb.
C) Dante Alighieri.
D) Joseph Conrad.
  • 93. What was the final color of the Nostromo model after Ridley Scott's change?
A) Yellow.
B) Silver.
C) Gray.
D) Black.
  • 94. What was the original name proposed for the planetoid in early script drafts?
A) Tartarus.
B) Acheron.
C) Styx.
D) LV-426.
  • 95. Who wrote the tagline 'In space no one can hear you scream'?
A) The 20th Century-Fox executive team
B) Jerry Goldsmith
C) Philip Gips
D) Barbara Gips
  • 96. Which film's music was used in the first theatrical trailer for Alien?
A) The Omen
B) Blade Runner
C) Logan's Run
D) Star Wars
  • 97. What rating did Alien receive in the United Kingdom?
A) M
B) R
C) X
D) AA
  • 98. Who designed the poster for Alien?
A) Philip Gips
B) Jerry Goldsmith
C) R/Greenberg Associates
D) Barbara Gips
  • 99. Who was the critic for the BBC's Film series who had a positive view of Alien?
A) Roger Ebert
B) Vincent Canby
C) Gene Siskel
D) Barry Norman
  • 100. Which publication described Alien as an 'empty bag of tricks'?
A) Variety
B) Time Out
C) Sight and Sound
D) Sneak Previews
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