Alien vs. Predator (film)

Alien vs. Predator (stylized on-screen as AVP: Alien vs. Predator) is a 2004 science fiction horror film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It is the first installment in the Alien vs. Predator franchise and stars Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, and Tommy Flanagan. In the film, an expedition team is caught in the crossfire of an ancient battle between Aliens and Predators as it attempts to escape a pyramid buried beneath Bouvet Island.

It adapts a crossover bringing together the creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a concept which originated in a 1989 comic book written by Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. Anderson wrote the story, with the creators of the Alien franchise, Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett receiving additional story credit due to the incorporation of elements from the Alien series, and Anderson and Shane Salerno adapted the story into a screenplay. Their writing was influenced by Aztec mythology, the comic book series, and the writings of Erich von Däniken.

Alien vs. Predator was theatrically released by 20th Century Fox on 13 August 2004. The film received generally negative reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $177.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $60–70 million. It has garnered a cult following. Due to the film's commercial success, the film was followed by a sequel titled Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem; the sequel was released in 2007 to similarly negative critical reception.