Open up those Calendar apps and start making notes for April 26. The previously unremarkable Tuesday has now been dubbed ALIEN Day by Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products who have turned the date into a massive social media campaign to celebrate the ALIEN franchise.
For 24 hours, 4/26 (a nod to LV-426) will be filled with product launches, nationwide screenings and a Twitter trivia contest that will give away ALIEN swag every 42.6 minutes in the hopes of making April 26 to ALIEN something along the lines of what May the 4th means to STAR WARS fans. It's a made-up day, but it's been overtaken by fandom to mean something.
As for what you should expect to come across on ALIEN Day, Reebok has perhaps the coolest contribution to the mix. Set for release on the day, the sneaker company will be releasing a limited number of pairs of the Reebok Alien Stomper worn by Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, in addition to the mid-tops worn by Lance Henrikson's Bishop. Those shoes can be found at Reebok.com and select Reebok stores, but they're expected to go fast, so be sure to be quick if you want even a remote shot at landing a pair.
But that's not all.
NECA will be releasing the first ever Lieutenant Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) and Newt (Carrie Henn) figures, plus a Kenner toy-inspired Ellen Ripley figure. There will also be an ALIENS Queen & Power Loader and Ripley figure set from Funko's ReAction retro action figure series.
Dark Horse Comics will have exclusive covers for Brian Wood and Tristan Jones’ ongoing ALIENS comic book series at participating retailers and a deluxe 30th anniversary hardcover version of the original ALIENS series from 1986. Titan Books will drop the brand-new novel Alien: Invasion (The Rage War book 2) by Tim Lebbon. A brand new audio drama, ALIEN: OUT OF THE SHADOWS – starring Rutger Hauer, Matthew Lewis and Corey Johnson (The Bourne Ultimatum) – can be heard on Audible, allowing you to hear a terrifying fight for survival and an intense struggle between human and artificial intelligence.
But that's still not everything.
Alamo Drafthouse locations will be showing ALIEN/ALIENS double features in over 20 cities, where each pre-ordered ticket includes a Mondo-designed ALIEN T-shirt released exclusively for these events. Exclusive ALIEN merchandise from Mondo will also go up for sale at these select locations, too.
Then, of course, there's the ALIEN: Ultimate Trivia Challenge, which will take place on Twitter. Every 42.6 minutes a new ALIEN trivia question will be presented via the official Alien Anthology twitter account, @AlienAnthology. Fans will need to pre-register their Twitter handle at ALIEN Anthology in advance of the contest, so if you think you might participate, you should hop on that to be safe.
Each trivia question (35 in a 24-hour cycle) will have various prize packages from 20th Century Fox’s ALIEN franchise licensing partners. To qualify to win the corresponding prize, participants must “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) will be selected for each of the questions.
And yet there's still more from other licensing partners…
In regards to the announcement, Jeffrey Godsick, President of Twentieth 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.' Godsick added, 'We noticed that fans of the ALIEN films were starting to rally around the calendar date of April 26th — given the connection to the planet LV-426. Quite simply, it gave us the idea to do something special on this day; to officially mark the occasion alongside fans and to build excitement online, in stores and once again, in theaters.'
Well played, Fox… ALIEN Day is now a thing, and you're going all out to make it so. No one can say you didn't at least try.
ALIEN Day is now officially April 26, so plan accordingly.