Alien Day is an annual promotional event dedicated to the Alien franchise, held on April 26. It is officially organized and promoted by 20th Century Fox. The date is a reference to the moon on which Aliens is set — April 26, 4/26, LV-426.

The event typically involves a multitude of special releases, including novels, comic books, video games, clothing and collectables. As well as physical releases, the day is marked by exclusive announcements, trivia competitions and the return of the classic films in the Alien franchise to theaters around the world. Fox ran the first Alien Day in 2016, additionally marking the 30th anniversary of the release of Aliens, and the event returned in 2017 and 2018. It will do so again in 2019.

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History

The annual 20th Century Fox event was in fact preceded by a one-off "Aliens Day" event organized by Dark Horse Comics in 2009, celebrating the relaunch of its Aliens comics line after a ten-year hiatus. This original event was held on May 25, 2009, exactly 30 years to the day since the original theatrical release of Alien in 1979. As part of the event, Dark Horse released a special variant of Free Comic Book Day: Aliens/Predator, featuring alternate Aliens cover artwork by Chris Warner. The company also published a special double-sided flip poster featuring the cover artwork from the first issues of the 2009 limited series Aliens: More Than Human and Predator: Prey to the Heavens, by Zach Howard and Brad Anderson (Aliens) and Raymond Swanland (Predator).

Following this one-off marketing promotion, the current incarnation of the event, officially titled Alien Day and now orchestrated by Fox, was first held on April 26, 2016. Similarly to Dark Horse's 2009 event, the year marked the 30th anniversary of the release of an Alien movie to theaters — in this case, Alien's sequel, Aliens. As part of the event, Fox teamed up with a number of licensing partners to produce a multitude of special releases, "showcasing everything from unique apparel to exclusive comic books to high-end collectables".[1] In response to the official announcement of the 2016 event, Jeffrey Godsick, President of 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, stated: "The Alien franchise holds a special place not only within the universe of Fox but with movie enthusiasts across the galaxy."[1]

Alien Day 2016

Releases

Special releases for Alien Day 2016 included:

Events

Alien & Aliens return to theaters : Alamo Drafthouse produced a screening program on April 26 that saw both Alien and Aliens return to theaters across America, including as special double-feature screenings at select venues. At Alamo locations, each pre-ordered ticket included a Mondo-designed Alien T-shirt, released exclusively for the event screenings. Screenings were additionally accompanied by exclusive Alien merchandise — including apparel, accessories, posters and records — from pop-culture company Mondo. Vue Cinemas and Cineworld ran similar programs in the UK, showing double bills of the Alien Director's Cut and the Aliens Special Edition at select venues. The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, Australia also showed an Alien / Aliens double bill.

: Alamo Drafthouse produced a screening program on April 26 that saw both and return to theaters across America, including as special double-feature screenings at select venues. At Alamo locations, each pre-ordered ticket included a Mondo-designed T-shirt, released exclusively for the event screenings. Screenings were additionally accompanied by exclusive merchandise — including apparel, accessories, posters and records — from pop-culture company Mondo. Vue Cinemas and Cineworld ran similar programs in the UK, showing double bills of the and the at select venues. The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, Australia also showed an / double bill. Alien: Ultimate Trivia Challenge: Fox ran a 24-hour trivia contest via Twitter that saw trivia questions asked every 42.6 minutes. Each trivia question (35 in a 24-hour cycle) offered fans the chance to win various prize packages from 20th Century Fox's Alien franchise licensing partners. To qualify to win the corresponding prize, participants had to "Reply" to the initial "question tweet", correctly answer the question, and use the #AlienDay426 and #Contest hashtags. A winner (or "winners" when multiple prizes are offered) were then be selected for each of the questions.

Alien Day 2017

Releases

Special releases for Alien Day 2017 included:

Events

Alien: Covenant Q & A : A question and answer session with the cast of Alien: Covenant was live-streamed on the day from Fox Studios in Los Angeles. [2]

: A question and answer session with the cast of was live-streamed on the day from Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Alien in theaters : Much like the previous year, Alien returned to theaters around the world for one night only. In America, the RPX Regal Cinema chain screened Alien , while in the UK, Vue Cinemas, ODEON and Cineworld ran an Alien Day programme, screening the Alien Director's Cut in a double bill with Prometheus . Showings additionally included a 10-minute preview of Alien: Covenant , and attendees also received exclusive commemorative items. [2] Attendees of showings in the UK additionally received a ticket to advance screenings of Alien: Covenant one day before the film's general release.

: Much like the previous year, returned to theaters around the world for one night only. In America, the RPX Regal Cinema chain screened , while in the UK, Vue Cinemas, ODEON and Cineworld ran an Alien Day programme, screening the in a double bill with . Showings additionally included a 10-minute preview of , and attendees also received exclusive commemorative items. Attendees of showings in the UK additionally received a ticket to advance screenings of one day before the film's general release. Immersive Alien Day celebration : 20th Century Fox ran an immersive experience in London, where fans were able to view and even wear props and costumes from Alien: Covenant , engage in an online chat session with the film's cast, listen to the film's score and feed on Alien -themed food and drinks. The event was followed by a screening of Prometheus .

: 20th Century Fox ran an immersive experience in London, where fans were able to view and even wear props and costumes from , engage in an online chat session with the film's cast, listen to the film's score and feed on -themed food and drinks. The event was followed by a screening of . MU/TH/UR of all Trivia Challenges: Fox again ran a 24-hour trivia contest via the Alien Universe website, with trivia questions asked every 4 hours 26 minutes. Each trivia question offered fans the chance to win various prize packages.

Alien Day 2018

Releases

Special releases for Alien Day 2018 included:

Attractions

Alien: Descent: The Alien: Descent attraction opened to the public in Orange County, California.

Events

Interactive assessments : 20th Century Fox launched the interactive Survival Assessment and Career Placement Test questionnaires on the official Alien Universe website.

: 20th Century Fox launched the interactive Survival Assessment and Career Placement Test questionnaires on the official Alien Universe website. Dark Horse sale: Dark Horse held a sale on all of their existing Aliens comics.

Alien Day 2019

Releases

Special releases for Alien Day 2019 included:

Anniversary shorts : The last two shorts created as part of the Alien 40th anniversary short films project, Alien: Harvest and Alien: Alone , were released through IGN.

: The last two shorts created as part of the 40th anniversary short films project, and , were released through IGN. Dead Orbit hardback : Dark Horse Comics released a deluxe oversized hardback edition of Aliens: Dead Orbit .

: Dark Horse Comics released a deluxe oversized hardback edition of . Alien: Alone soundtrack : Alone in Space , the soundtrack album to Alien: Alone , was released online.

: , the soundtrack album to , was released online. Alien 3 trading cards : Upper Deck Entertainment released an Alien 3 trading card set.

: Upper Deck Entertainment released an trading card set. Reebok Alien Stomper sneakers : Rebok re-released their Alien Stomper shoes.

: Rebok re-released their Alien Stomper shoes. Fright-Rags merchandise : Fright-Rags released an exclusive Alien T-shirt along with other exclusive merchandise.

: Fright-Rags released an exclusive T-shirt along with other exclusive merchandise. Fox merchandise : Shop.FoxMovies.com offered a wide selection of exclusive Alien merchandise and apparel, with those purchasing on Alien Day receiving a free pack of Aliens trading cards.

: Shop.FoxMovies.com offered a wide selection of exclusive merchandise and apparel, with those purchasing on Alien Day receiving a free pack of trading cards. Fanattik merchandise : Exclusive to the United Kingdom, Fanattik released a range of Alien merchandise, including prints, playing cards, a 40th anniversary commemorative coin and pin badges.

: Exclusive to the United Kingdom, Fanattik released a range of merchandise, including prints, playing cards, a 40th anniversary commemorative coin and pin badges. Alien anniversary poster: Grey Matter Art released an officially licensed, limited edition Alien poster by artist Karl Fitzgerald.

Events

My Alien : 20th Century Fox offered fans the chance to get involved by uploading videos of their Alien memories on Twitter with the hashtag #MyAlien40th, with the best videos being shared on the official Alien Universe website.

: 20th Century Fox offered fans the chance to get involved by uploading videos of their memories on Twitter with the hashtag #MyAlien40th, with the best videos being shared on the official Alien Universe website. 40 Years of Alien sweepstakes : The Alien universe site also ran competitions throughout the week of Alien Day, offering up a variety of Alien prizes.

: The Alien universe site also ran competitions throughout the week of Alien Day, offering up a variety of prizes. Titan Books competitons : Titan Books ran competitions in both the US and UK with various pieces of Alien merchandise up for grabs.

: Titan Books ran competitions in both the US and UK with various pieces of merchandise up for grabs. Video game discounts : Both Alien: Blackout and Aliens vs. Pinball saw substantial one-day-only discounts.

: Both and saw substantial one-day-only discounts. Eaglemoss sale: Eaglemoss Collections offered a 3-for-2 sale on their Alien & Predator figures.

Alien Day 2020

Releases

Releases for Alien day 2020 were on a significantly reduced scale as opposed to previous years. Releases included:

Rebok Alien Stomper sneakers : Rebok re-released their Alien Stomper shoes.

: Rebok re-released their Alien Stomper shoes. Rebok T-shirts : Rebok released several new Alien T-shirts.

: Rebok released several new Alien T-shirts. Mondo merchandise: Mondo released new T-shirts, pins and tiki-mugs.

Events

Video game discounts: For a single day, Alien: Blackout was made free and Alien vs. Pinball was 50% off. For a single day, Alien: Isolation was 95% off, with multiple other games such as Aliens: Colonial Marines and Aliens vs. Predator also receiving discounts. The Alien: Isolation Collection and Aliens vs. Predator Collection also received discounts.

Trivia

The official Fox iteration of Alien Day, taking place on April 26, has its origins in a fan event based in New York City. The first unofficial "Aliens Day" was organized by Aliens fan Alaric Hahn of Brooklyn, New York for April 26, 2015. In February the following year, a promotional image for Hahn's 2016 event was shared by NECA toys on Twitter to much popularity, possibly indicating the fan event was the impetus for 20th Century Fox to adopt the day officially.

fan Alaric Hahn of Brooklyn, New York for April 26, 2015. In February the following year, a promotional image for Hahn's 2016 event was shared by NECA toys on Twitter to much popularity, possibly indicating the fan event was the impetus for 20th Century Fox to adopt the day officially. Alien Day 2017 fell on a Wednesday, the day on which new comic book issues are traditionally released.

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