where was avp filmed?

The Predators use Earth for their rituals and every 1000 years, they drop five teenage predators off at a pyramid and they have to fight for their survival. If they survive the battle against the aliens, they earn their “warrior status”. The film is set in the present time at the beginning of the 21st century and a group of scientists and archaeologists travel to Antarctica and discover ancient pyramid ruins.

These ruins are deep under the ice surface which were built by the Predators and were formed much earlier than the pyramid ruins in Egypt. When the group reaches one of the pyramids in Antarctica, they discover human skeletons and the fossilized remains of Facehuggers and Chestbursters. They also find out that these aliens might be still alive somewhere in the pyramid ruins but unknown to them, there’s also another species of alien exploring there – the Predators.

Aliens vs Predator first appeared in comic book form in 1989 and was quite successful in the 90s. We then got a glimpse of an alien skull in the trophy room in Predator 2 in 1990 which fuelled rumours of a crossover film. Screenwriter Peter Briggs wrote an AvP screenplay based on the comic books in the early 90s and submitted it to 20th Century Fox who were cautious to move forward with the project. You can read more about this part of the film’s history in The Hunt Begins: The Early Days of Peter Briggs’ Alien vs. Predator. In 1999, a game called Aliens vs Predator was released for PC followed by its sequel Aliens vs Predator 2 in 2001. Both games were quite well-received by critics and fans alike.

In 2002, another Aliens vs Predator treatment was written by James DeMonaco and Kevin Fox which followed the storyline of the comic series, AvP: Eternal. It was rejected by producer John Davis as he wanted the film to take place on Earth. Paul W.S. Anderson approached 20th Century Fox and pitched a story for the film which he had been working on for several years. He asked designer Patrick Tatopoulos to create some concept art pieces to use in his presentation, and paid for them out of his own pocket. Producer John Davis was impressed with Anderson’s pitch and the project was greenlit.

After Paul Anderson had finished Resident Evil Apocalypse, he began working on the Alien vs Predator script. Shane Salerno was brought in and spent six months re-writing Anderson’s script and stayed on throughout production making changes as necessary. It’s unknown what changes Salerno made but some of Anderson’s early ideas had been scrapped. Originally there was going to be five predators but this was cut down to three. The story was also going to revolve around the humans luring the predators to the pyramid with alien eggs.

Much of Anderson’s story was based around the work of Erich von Däniken – that early civilizations built pyramids with the help of an alien race. In the film, it was said that the predators helped humans to build pyramids and they used Earth as a rite of passage every 100 years. Anderson added plenty of comic book references in the script and the story was also inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s 1931 novella At the Mountains of Madness. As the film takes place in the present day, Paul W.S. Anderson made it clear that he didn’t want to contradict the previous Alien films so the story takes place on the Norwegian Antarctic island of Bouvet, far away from any civilization.

20th Century Fox had give Paul W.S. Anderson a budget of around $60M. The Czech Republic capital Prague was chosen as the filming location for much of Alien vs Predator as the production costs would be much lower. Anderson stated that to build the sets in Los Angeles, it would have cost $20M but in Prague, the cost was only $2M. Production designer Richard Bridgland was in charge of creating sets, props and vehicles using Anderson’s early concept art as a guide. Around 30 sets were created in Prague including pyramid interiors which incorporated hieroglyphs based on ancient civilizations.

Miniature sets were created that were a third in scale in order to give a more realistic effect instead of relying on CGI and over 700 bags of artificial snow was used on the sets to add to the illusion that they were in Antarctica. A miniature version of the icebreaker ship was created costing $37,000 and it took 10 weeks to construct. The whaling station was a 25-meter miniature set that took several months to create and it was designed so it could collapse and then be re-constructed. This was beneficial for additional reshoots.

Special effects company, Amalgamated Dynamics (A.D.I.) were hired to do the creature effects. Founders Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis, previously did the effects on Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, and worked on Aliens under Stan Winston. A.D.I. Spent five months designing the creatures and creating costumes. Particularly, the predators’ wristblades were made five times longer than in Predator, and the shoulder cannon had been made bigger. Different predator masks were created, as such to differentiate between them.

They were made from clay which was used to form molds in order to create fibreglass copies, and then they were painted. A full hydraulic alien puppet was created so movements could be made faster and give the alien a sleek appearance. It required six people to operate it, three for the head and body, two for the arms and another person making sure the signals reached the computer. The hydraulic puppet was used in six shots in Alien vs Predator, including the main alien-predator fight sequence. Two separate puppets were created for the Alien Queen, a 4.8 meter practical version which required 12 puppeteers to operate, and a 1.2 meter puppet.

The first person cast in the film was veteran actor Lance Henriksen who is no stranger to the Alien series. He appears in Aliens and Alien 3 as Bishop the android. Even though those films take place 150 years in the future, Paul Anderson wanted a familiar actor for continuity. Henriksen plays Charles Bishop Weyland who funds the expedition to Antarctica. Clearly, there’s a tie-in to Weyland-Yutani, known as ‘the company’ in the Alien franchise and it’s assumed that the company based its androids on its founder Charles Weyland.

Anderson wanted generally unknown actors for Alien vs Predator, like Ridley Scott opted for in Alien. Most of the cast are of European origin including Italian actor Raoul Bova, Scottish actor Ewen Bremner and English actor Colin Salmon. Hundreds of actresses attended the audition for the lead role of Alexa but it eventually went to Sanaa Lathan who flew to Prague to begin filming only one week after been cast.

Another actor rumoured for a role was Arnold Schwarzenegger who was going to have a cameo appearance as Dutch from Predator. He was going to appear in a chopper at the end of Alien vs Predator, and pick up Lex in Antarctica. Schwarzenegger said he would only appear if he lost the California governor election and that it would have to be filmed at his residence. As he got elected governor, the cameo never happened. Sigourney Weaver (Ripley from the Alien series) was never approached for a cameo appearance as she was against the idea of a crossover film for many years.

Ian Whyte, who stands at 7’1″, plays the lead predator known as the Scar Predator. Ian Whyte also went onto play the predator in the sequel AvP Requiem and later the engineer in Prometheus. The other two predators, Celtic and Chopper, are played by much shorter Czech actors. A.D.I. founder Tom Woodruff plays the Grid Alien.

Post-Production

Visual effects producers Arthur Windus and John Bruno were in charge of that area and Alien vs Predator contained 400 effects shots. CGI was generally kept to a minimum as Anderson said actors in suits looked scarier than CGI monsters. For the full-body movement shots, a CGI Alien Queen was created and a CGI tail was give to the practical version as it was difficult to create by puppetry alone. The movie’s score was created by Austrian composer Harold Kloser who also did the score for The Day After Tomorrow. Anderson chose him because he was a fan of both franchises. The score was recorded in London and was entirely orchestral.

Alien vs Predator was released in the US on August 12, 2004, opening in 3395 theatres and grossing $38.2M in its opening weekend, entering at number one on the box office. It spent 16 weeks in cinemas  and its final North American gross was $80,281,096. It didn’t open in the majority of international territories until two to three months later. In the UK, it was released October 22, 2004 and grossed $9M. The total international gross was $92,262,423 giving it a combined worldwide gross of $172,543,519. Alien vs Predator is the highest grossing Alien / Predator film of all time, assuming we don’t consider Prometheus.

Prior to the film’s official release, the movie wasn’t screened in advance to critics and when they saw it, the reviews were mostly negative. Out of 141 reviews, Alien vs Predator currently holds a 21% rotten rating on RottenTomatos. The main criticism was aimed at the poor dialogue, characters, the PG-13 rating and the quick-cut editing. The positives were aimed the creature special effects and set designs.

Alien and Predator fans, much like critics, disliked the film. A lot of criticism was aimed at the bulky predator costumes and how Scar Predator’s facial design looked fake when he removed his mask. The PG13 rating was a huge criticism as Anderson had led everybody to believe the film would be R-Rated. He confirmed in October 2004, that Alien vs Predator was always going to be PG13 and that no footage had been cut out to get the rating. Despite this, 20th Century Fox later released an Unrated cut the following year. Another criticism was aimed at the human-predator team-up at the climax of the film

Alien vs Predator was released on DVD in North America on January 25, 2005. It featured two audio commentaries. The first with Paul W. S. Anderson, Lance Henriksen, and Sanaa Lathan, while the second included special effects supervisor John Bruno and ADI founders Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff. There was also a 25-minute Making Of featurette, a Dark Horse cover gallery and three deleted scenes. The DVD debuted at number one on the DVD sales and rental charts upon its release. On March 7, 2005, 20th Century Fox released a two-disc ‘Extreme Edition’ DVD set. This featured many featurettes covering the conception, pre-production, production, post-production and licensing of the film.

On November 22, 2005, Fox released a new Unrated DVD for the US market which contained 8 minutes of additional footage and CGI blood was added to the kill scenes. Alien vs Predator was released on Blu-Ray in North America on January 23, 2007 and in the UK on April 9, 2007. The film has been released in numerous special boxsets including the AvP Monster Box (April 2005 – Japan), the Predator Deluxe Head Set (December 2006 – UK) and the AvP: The Ultimate Showdown DVD Collector’s Set (November 2007 – US).

You can view more images tagged with Movie - AvP Movie - Stills here.

You can find more images on AvP Movie Concept Art.

Alien vs. Predator (also known as Aliens versus Predator and AVP) is a science-fiction action horror media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between, and part of, the larger Alien and Predator franchises, depicting the two species as being in conflict with one another. It began as a comic book series in 1989, before being adapted into a video game series in the 1990s. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film series began with Alien vs. Predator (2004), directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and was followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by the Brothers Strause, and the development of a third film has been delayed indefinitely. The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Aliens vs. Predator released in 2010. A 10-episode Aliens vs. Predator anime series was produced by Shinji Aramaki for an intended 2016 release; following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the completed series has yet to be released from the Disney Vault.

The Alien vs. Predator franchise depicts a series of deadly encounters between humanity and other extraterrestrial species: the Aliens, ferocious, endoparasitoid creatures; and the Predators, technologically advanced warriors that hunt for personal sport and honor. Predominantly transpiring in the present day of the 21st century, the series acts as a spin-off to both the Alien franchise and the Predator franchise, portraying humankind's encounters with alien species and how they helped shape the human civilization and weaponry such as the Colonel Marines, the United America, and those involved with the Weyland-Yutani Corporation that is seen in the Alien franchise of the future.

Throughout the series, audiences see the involvement of the forerunners of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the history of these alien creatures as Weyland Industries, headed by Charles Bishop Weyland (one of the many within the Weyland family), who seeks immortality and the advancement of the company, whereas the Yutani Corporation, headed by Ms. Yutani, seeks to study creatures from space and acquire their technology and weaponry for organized warfare. Amidst the actions of the two corporations, human characters are forced to survive infestations of Xenomorphs and clashes with Yautjas, eventually leading to the future merger between the two companies and the development of interstellar travel and eventually wars with other races from space and other advanced technologies.

The first Alien vs. Predator story was published by Dark Horse Comics in Dark Horse Presents #34–36 (November 1989 – February 1990), leading to the popular The Machiko Noguchi Saga, following a woman who joins the hunt of the Predators (Yautja). In November 1990, Predator 2 was released in theaters and included a scene depicting an Alien (Xenomorph) skull as one of the Predator's trophies. Over the coming years, Fox had been pursuing a cinematic adaptation of the concept to advance the Alien and Predator franchises further, and Peter Briggs was tasked with the job to write an early script for the project and eventually pitched an idea titled The Hunt: Alien vs. Predator in 1994, but the pitch was rejected and development of the film remained stuck in development hell for almost a decade before the first feature film was finally released in 2004 under the helm of Paul W. S. Anderson, titled Alien vs. Predator, with a sequel by the Brothers Strause, titled Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, eventually released in 2007. Ellen Ripley does not appear in this franchise, as it takes place more than a century prior to the events of the Alien series.

The first actor to be cast for Alien vs. Predator was Lance Henriksen, who played the characters Bishop and Michael Bishop Weyland in Aliens and Alien 3 (and Aliens: Colonial Marines). Although the Alien films are set 150 years in the future, Anderson wanted to keep continuity with the series by including a familiar actor. Henriksen plays billionaire and self-taught-engineer Charles Bishop Weyland, a character that ties in with the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as the original founder and CEO of Weyland Industries. Henriksen later returned to the franchise through the role of Karl Bishop Weyland, a descendant of Charles Weyland, in the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator.

According to Anderson, Weyland becomes known for the discovery of the pyramid, and as a result the Weyland-Yutani Corporation models the Bishop android in the Alien films after him; "when the Bishop android is created in 150 years time, it's created with the face of the creator. It's kind of like Microsoft building an android in 100 years time that has the face of Bill Gates." The Brothers Strause further stated how the ending of their sequel built further upon establishing the future of the universe by having the Predator technology acquired by Yutani Corporation (and by extension Project Stargazer of the Predator films) act as the impetus for the development of advanced technologies such as FTL (faster-than-light travel) drives fitted aboard spaceships.

The legacy of the shared universe has also shown itself in later films. In the 2010 film Predators, when the group of main protagonists enters the Predators' camp, there is a brief view of an Alien skull on the ground (as well as the lower jaw of an Alien on the helmet of the Berserker Predator), referring to the similar moment from Predator 2 when an Alien skull is seen in the trophy room of the Predator spaceship. Furthermore, the 2018 film titled The Predator featured several references to Alien vs. Predator such as the shurikens, mask designs, and Alexa's spear which the Predator named Scar made out of an Alien tail. An alternate ending for The Predator displaying a Weyland-Yutani Corp pod containing Ripley and Newt from Aliens (both played by Breanna Watkins) wearing a Weyland-Yutani breathing apparatus shaped like an Alien Facehugger was also intended to further connect to the Alien films.

In 2004, a Predator mothership arrives in Earth orbit to draw humans to an ancient Predator training ground on Bouvetøya, an island about one thousand miles north of Antarctica. A buried pyramid giving off a "heat bloom" attracts a group of explorers led by billionaire and self-taught engineer Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen), the original founder and CEO of Weyland Industries, who unknowingly activates an Alien egg production line as a hibernating Alien Queen is awakened within the pyramid. Three Predators descend unto the planet and enter the structure, killing all humans in their way with the intention of hunting the newly formed Aliens, while the scattered explorers are captured alive by Aliens and implanted with embryos. Two Predators die in the ensuing battle with an Alien, while the third allies itself with the lone surviving human, Alexa "Lex" Woods (Sanaa Lathan), while making their way out of the pyramid as it is destroyed by the Predator's wrist bomb and eventually does battle with the escaped Alien Queen on the surface. The Queen is defeated by being dragged down by a water tower into the dark depths of the frozen sea, but not before she fatally wounds the last Predator. The orbiting Predator mothership uncloaks and the crew retrieves the fallen Predator. A Predator elder gives Lex a spear as a sign of respect, and then departs. Once in orbit it is revealed that an Alien Chestburster was present within the corpse, thus a Predalien hybrid is born.

Set immediately after the events of the previous film, the Predalien hybrid aboard the Predator scout ship, having just separated from the mothership shown in the previous film, has grown to full adult size and sets about killing the Predators aboard the ship, causing it to crash in the small town of Gunnison, Colorado. The last surviving Predator activates a distress beacon containing a video recording of the Predalien, which is received by a veteran Predator on the Predator homeworld, who sets off towards Earth to "clean up" the infestation. When it arrives, the Predator tracks the Aliens into a section of the sewer below the town. He removes evidence of their presence as he moves along using a corrosive blue liquid and uses a laser net to try to contain the creatures, but the Aliens still manage to escape into the town above. The Predator fashions a plasma pistol from its remaining plasma caster and hunts Aliens all across town, accidentally cutting the power to the town in the process. During a confrontation with human survivors, the Predator loses its plasma pistol. The Predator then fights the Predalien singlehandedly, and the two mortally wound one another just as the US air force drops a tactical nuclear bomb on the town, incinerating both combatants along with the Predalien's warriors and hive, as well as the few remaining humans in the town. The salvaged plasma pistol is then taken to a Ms. Yutani of the Yutani Corporation, foreshadowing an advancement in technology leading to the future events of the Alien films.

Colin and Greg Strause were adamant that they wanted to develop Alien vs. Predator 3 during the production of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. They essentially sought to make an AVP-film in space and set in the future, but by the time they were hired, 20th Century Fox had already decided to go with Salerno's script set on Earth. They incorporated elements of their ideas into the second film, such as the Predator home planet. In 2008 "An anonymous source over at 20th Century Fox got in touch with us over the weekend to relay the news another Aliens vs. Predator sequel is a 'certainty' at this point. If you recall, the brothers Strause – who helmed the Christmas release Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem – stated Fox was going to take a 'wait-and-see' approach to a third chapter, furthermore, that the story would have to continue in space."

On October 28, 2010, io9 published an exclusive interview with the Brothers Strause in which they revealed that Alien vs. Predator 3 would have led directly into Alien. Greg Strause stated that, "The original ending for AVPR, that we pitched them, ended up on the Alien homeward , and actually going from the Predator gun, that you see at the end, it was going to transition from that gun to a logo of a Weyland-Yutani spaceship that was heading to an alien planet. And then we were actually going to cut down to the surface and you were going to see a hunt going on. It was going to be a whole tribe of predators going against this creature that we called "King Alien." It's this huge giant winged alien thing. And that was going to be the lead-in, to show that the fact that the Predator gun is the impetus of all the technological advancements that allowed humans to travel in space. Which leads up to the Alien timeline."

When asked about the ending sequence of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, that the Predator-weapon handed to Ms. Yutani would lead to us humans developing advanced space travel technology, Greg stated, "That was the idea. They never got any of the equipment from the first Predators. It's the first time they ever received any intact working technology left over. So they could take that and reverse engineer, figure out what the power source was – all of those things. And in theory, that would enable that company to make massive advancements in technology and dominate the space industry. That was the whole idea, was to literally continue from Ms. Yutani getting the gun – and then cut to 50 years in the future, and there's spaceships now. We've made a quantum leap in space travel. That was going to set up the ending, which would then set up what AVP was going to be, which would take place 100 years in the future. That was kind of the plan."

Liam O'Donnell, who worked as a visual effects consultant on Requiem, wrote a script treatment for AVP3 during the production of Requiem which was set in South Africa about fifty years in the future when global warming had melted the ice caps (and releasing the Alien Queen from Antarctica), featuring the merger and global rule of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and their development of interstellar travel based on the recovered Predator technology from Gunnison.

In 2015, having worked on the special effects of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, VFX make-up artist David Woodruff (the son of Tom Woodruff who worked on both the Alien- and Terminator-franchises) participated in an interview with TheTerminatorFans, and when asked about the situation of a third chapter in the AVP-trilogy, he stated, "I haven't heard anything about a 3rd installment, not even rumors. This Neill Blomkamp project is the first possibility I've seen or heard of another Alien film and I'm all about it. I know the guys at Amalgamated Dynamics are pushing for something like this too. It's time."

In 2015, during the London Film and Comic Con, Sigourney Weaver stated that she asked to have Ripley killed in Alien 3 because she knew that Fox were moving forward with Alien vs. Predator. Peter Briggs (writer of The Hunt: Alien vs. Predator) responded by praising all films in the franchise and pointing out that the AVP-films were more successful than Weaver's last two Alien-films, and noting that "There's a terrific Alien vs. Predator movie still to be made by someone. It just hasn't happened yet."

In mid-2018, Shane Black, the director of The Predator, tweeted his belief that a third Alien vs. Predator can still happen, indicating the studio's interest in both franchises. A ComicBookRumours.com article from July suggested Fox may attempt an "AVP Cinematic Universe" after Ridley Scott finishes making the Alien prequels, after which Fox considered a "soft reboot" to the Alien series with new/original characters, a new setting, and new timeline, which the same article also suggested, if it were to happen, could potentially take place within the same continuity as the Predator films and AVP films. Noting Predators featured an Alien skull cameo (along with other references to Aliens) and Lex Wood's Xenomorph tail spear from Alien vs. Predator make appearance in The Predator. Alternate endings produced for The Predator displaying a Weyland-Yutani Corp pod containing Ripley and Newt (both played by Breanna Watkins) wearing a Weyland-Yutani breathing apparatus shaped like an Alien Facehugger was also intended to further connect to the Alien films. In 2020, Alex Litvak, the co-writer of Predators revealed the original script for the film's cancelled sequel, which would feature the Colonial Marines from Aliens.

In May 2023, Alien Day founder Josh Izzo revealed that "10 episodes of a fully completed Alien vs. Predator anime series" had been completed at 20th Century Fox, intended for a Netflix release prior to its acquisition by Disney, had been produced by Eric Calderon and Dave Baker, and directed by Shinji Aramaki, but was yet to see official release from the Disney Vault, despite completion. Originally developed as an adaptation of Dark Horse Comics' The Machiko Noguchi Saga, with Izzio using the comic as the basis for storyboards in his pitch, the series was redeveloped by Aramaki as a "deep future"-set story set years after the events of Alien Resurrection, told from the perspective of a Yautja clan (including a cyborg and a bone-weapon-wielding warrior named "Bone") as they hunt down xenomorphs.

The Alien vs. Predator duology has received a negative critical response, with the primary source of criticism being the plot, lighting and editing.

"Wach auf!" from German industrial metal group Oomph!'s appeared in the German version of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and was released as a single to tie-in with the film.

There exists a great number of spin-offs in other media, including a large number of crossovers within the Alien/Predator fictional universe.

Several novelizations based upon the movies have been released.

Dark Horse Comics published various lines based on the franchise, starring the character of Machiko Noguchi. The Fire and Stone (2014–2015) and Life and Death (2016–2017) series crosses over the continuities of Alien vs. Predator and Prometheus with graphic novel sequels. Marvel Comics acquired the comic book rights to the Alien vs. Predator franchise in 2020, in addition to the rights to the Alien and Predator franchises at the request of Disney.

Other books expanding this fictional universe has been released through the years, and also such that depict the background to the films, including works by special effects company Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated (ADI) which has worked with both the Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator films.

The 1993 SFC beat 'em up Alien vs. Predator was developed by Jorudan and Published by Activision (NA, PAL) and IGS (JP).

Game Boy version Alien vs Predator: The Last of His Clan was Developed by ASK Kodansha.

An Alien vs. Predator arcade beat 'em up game was released by Capcom in 1994. Two other Alien vs Predator games were also published by Activision for the SNES and Game Boy in 1993. There were also several Alien vs. Predator mobile games, and two cancelled titles for the Atari Lynx and Game Boy Advance.

In 1994, Atari Corporation released the Rebellion Developments-developed first-person shooter Alien vs Predator for the Atari Jaguar, in which one could play as an Alien, Marine, or Predator. Rebellion then went on to develop the similarly themed 1999's Aliens versus Predator for the PC. This was followed by, among others, Aliens versus Predator 2 and the expansion pack Aliens versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt. In 2010, Sega released a reboot, Aliens vs. Predator, a multiplatform first-person shooter also made by Rebellion and tied into the timeline of the live-action films.

In 2003 a real-time strategy game "Alien Versus Predator: Extinction" was made for the PS2 and Xbox featuring 3 campaign modes for both races as well as humans. It featured several variations of Predators and Aliens seen throughout the films and other forms of media including the famous Predalien.

Both Alien and Predator appear as downloadable characters in Mortal Kombat X (2015).

The film series' characters of Predators in the franchise appeared in the video game Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020).

Zen Studios developed and released a virtual pinball based upon the 1986 film Aliens, the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator, and the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation in the Aliens vs. Pinball collection, available as an add-on pack for Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2 and Pinball FX 3 on April 26, 2016. The three tables features 3-D animated figures of Ellen Ripley, Alexa Woods, Amanda Ripley, the Alien, and the Predator.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Halcyon Models released seventeen Alien model kits, beginning in 1987, as well as a Predator 2 model kit in 1994.

In 1994, Kenner released a collection of action figures known as Aliens vs. Predator. This followed the two initial series of Aliens that were based on an animated series, Operation: Aliens, that was never broadcast. As such, the inclusion of Predator is often considered the 3rd and 4th series of the Aliens line. This collection includes several Aliens, many of which feature built-in attack features, and Predators, which include removable masks and battle weapons such as spears and missile launchers. The figures generally possess 5 points of articulation, and some include a mini Dark Horse comic book.

While the collection as a whole is known as Aliens vs. Predator, the two character types have their own card art that only features the character at hand. An exception would be the Aliens vs. Predator 2-pack. Since human space marines were included in the initial Aliens line, the Predator was marketed as an alternative enemy to the Aliens. A figure cardback reads: "The stage is set for the universe's two most ferocious enemies. It's the gruesome and evil Aliens against the big-game hunter Predator. Who will win... the beast or the hunter? Can the Predator stop the evil Aliens before the galaxy is destroyed?!?!?!"

In 1998, Kay Bee Toys released the Kenner produced Aliens: Hive Wars line featuring Aliens, Marines, and Predators. More figures, including a female Predator and an Alien/Predator/Smash Mason 3-pack, were designed for this series but never released as part of the line.

Six sets of Aliens and Predator Micro Machines were also planned by Galoob in 1995 but never released. This would have also included the LV-426/Outer World Station Action Fleet Playset. Thanks in part to the research of toy collectors, many photos of these unreleased toys and prototypes have shown up online in recent years.

In December 2002, McFarlane Toys released a highly detailed Alien vs. Predator deluxe set. In 2004, they produced a series of figures based on the Alien vs. Predator film. Alongside the articulated figures, McFarlane also released statuesque display sets depicting scenes from the film.

Hot Toys produced highly detailed 16" tall figures for every film including Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007.

NECA has produced various lines of Alien vs. Predator figures for several years. In 2007, they released two series of Requiem figures.

In 2013, a line of ReAction Figures Alien and Predator toys were produced.

Originally having produced figures based on the 2013 video game Aliens: Colonial Marines, Hiya Toys has also released figures based on Predator, Predator 2, and Alien: Covenant.

Funko Pop! Vinyl currently produces ongoing lines of Alien vs. Predator figures.

Minimates produces ongoing lines of Alien vs. Predator figures.

Loot Crate and Titans Vinyl Figures have collaborated in producing several figures and other merchandise based on characters and creatures from the Alien vs. Predator universe.

Eaglemoss Collections currently produces the ongoing Alien & Predator line of figures based on characters and creatures from the Alien vs. Predator universe.

On August 4, 2014, Universal Studios confirmed that there will be haunted mazes based on Alien vs. Predator for their Halloween Horror Nights events at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.

Alien vs. Predator (stylized as AVP: Alien vs. Predator) is a 2004 science fiction action film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and starring Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, and Tommy Flanagan. It is the first film installment of the Alien vs. Predator franchise, adapting a crossover bringing together the eponymous 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. In the film, scientists are caught in the crossfire of an ancient battle between Aliens and Predators as they attempt to escape a bygone pyramid.

Alien vs. Predator was theatrically released on 12 August 2004. Despite negative reviews, it grossed $177.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $60–70 million. A direct sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, was released in 2007.

In 2004, a Predator ship arrives on Earth and uses a heating device to melt a hole in Antarctic ice. Meanwhile, a satellite detects the heat bloom beneath Bouvetøya, an island about 1,000 mi (1,600 km) off the coast of Antarctica. Wealthy industrialist Charles Weyland discovers through thermal imaging that there is a pyramid buried 2,000 ft (610 m) beneath the ice. He assembles a team of experts to investigate, including archaeologists, linguists, mercenaries, and a mountaineering guide named Lex Woods. Terminally ill, Weyland desires to claim the discovery in his name.

When the team arrives at the abandoned whaling station, they find a newly made tunnel running directly beneath the ice toward the pyramid. The team descends the tunnel and begins to explore the pyramid, soon finding evidence of an ancient civilization and what appears to be a sacrificial chamber filled with human skeletons that all have ruptured rib cages.

Meanwhile, three Predators ⁠— Scar, Celtic, and Chopper ⁠— arrive and kill the remaining team members on the surface. They make their way down to the pyramid and arrive just as the team unwittingly activates the structure and is trapped within it. The Xenomorph Queen awakens from cryogenic stasis and begins to produce eggs. When the eggs hatch, several facehuggers attach themselves to humans trapped in the sacrificial chamber. Chestbursters emerge from the humans and quickly grow into adult Xenomorphs. The humans take possession of the Predator's blasters, and conflict erupts between the Predators, Xenomorphs, and humans. Celtic and Chopper are killed by a Xenomorph, and Weyland buys Lex and Italian archaeologist Sebastian De Rosa enough time to escape from Scar, giving his life in the process. The two witness Scar kill a facehugger and a Xenomorph before unmasking and marking himself with the acidic blood of the facehugger. After Lex and Sebastian leave, another facehugger attacks Scar.

Through translation of the pyramid's hieroglyphs, Lex and Sebastian learn that the Predators have been visiting Earth for thousands of years. They taught the early human civilization how to build pyramids and were worshipped as gods. Every 100 years, they visit Earth to take part in a rite of passage by which several humans sacrifice themselves as hosts for the Xenomorphs, creating the "ultimate prey" for the Predators to hunt. As a fail-safe, if overwhelmed, the Predators would activate a self-destruct device to eliminate the Xenomorphs. They deduce that the Predators lured them into the pyramid to use as a sacrifice.

Lex and Sebastian decide that the Predators must be allowed to succeed so that the Xenomorphs do not escape to the surface. Sebastian is captured by a Xenomorph, and Lex returns the blaster to Scar. They are attacked by a Xenomorph, and Lex manages to kill it. Impressed, Scar uses parts of a dead Xenomorph to fashion weapons for Lex, and the two form an alliance. Lex finds Sebastian, who has become the host of a Xenomorph. She mercy kills him, but the Xenomorph Queen is freed from her restraints and, along with the other Xenomorphs, begins pursuing Lex and Scar. Scar detaches and uses a bomb in his wrist module to destroy the pyramid and the remaining Xenomorphs and eggs. Lex and Scar reach the surface, and Scar uses acidic Xenomorph blood to mark Lex with the Xenomorph hunter symbol. However, the Xenomorph Queen reappears and attacks. They defeat the Queen by hooking her chains to a water tank and pushing her over a cliff, so that she sinks to the ocean floor under the tank's weight. Scar is fatally wounded.

A Predator spaceship appears, and its crew retrieves its fallen comrade. An elder Predator presents Lex with a spear as a gift as the spaceship departs. Lex walks over to a snowcat and leaves the area. On the Predator spaceship, Scar's body lies at rest when a Predalien chestburster erupts from his chest.

Before 20th Century Fox gave Alien vs. Predator the greenlight, Aliens writer/director James Cameron had been working on a story for a fifth Alien film. Alien director Ridley Scott had talked with Cameron, stating "I think it would be a lot of fun, but the most important thing is to get the story right." In a 2002 interview, Scott's concept for a story was "to go back to where the alien creatures were first found and explain how they were created"; this project eventually became Scott's film Prometheus (2012). On learning that Fox intended to pursue Alien vs. Predator, Cameron believed the film would "kill the validity of the franchise" and ceased work on his story, "To me, that was Frankenstein Meets Werewolf. It was Universal just taking their assets and starting to play them off against each other...Milking it." After viewing Alien vs. Predator, Cameron remarked that "it was actually pretty good. I think of the five Alien films, I'd rate it third. I actually liked it. I actually liked it a lot." Conversely, Ridley Scott had no interest in the Alien vs. Predator films. When asked in May 2012 if he had watched them, Scott laughed, "No. I couldn't do that. I couldn't quite take that step." Director Neill Blomkamp would eventually go on to pitch his sequel to Aliens. However, Scott stated in 2017 that the project has been cancelled.

The concept of Alien vs. Predator originated from the Aliens versus Predator comic book in 1989 and subsequent novelisations and novels. It was also hinted at when an Alien skull appeared in a trophy case aboard the Predator ship in Predator 2. Shortly after the release of Predator 2, Predator co-writer Jim Thomas discussed the possibilities of a Predator franchise and commented on the prospect of a crossover film, stating, "I think Predator vs. Alien is a good idea that will probably never happen". Screenwriter Peter Briggs created the original spec screenplay in 1990–1991, which was based on the first comic series. In 1991, he successfully pitched the concept to 20th Century Fox, who owned the film franchises, although the company did not move forward with the project until 2002; a video game produced by Capcom as a tie-in to the unmade film saw independent release in 1994. The project was delayed chiefly because the studio was working on Alien Resurrection. A draft penned by James DeMonaco and Kevin Fox described as "pretty much word-for-word like the Dark Horse comic book" was rejected by producer John Davis, who hoped to give the film an original approach by setting it on Earth.

As there were six producers between the film franchises, Predator producer John Davis had difficulty securing the rights as the producers were worried about a film featuring the two creatures. Paul W. S. Anderson pitched Davis a story he worked on for eight years, adapting the Machiko Noguchi series, and showed him concept art created by Randy Bowen. Impressed with Anderson's idea, Davis thought the story was like Jaws in that it "just drew you in, it drew you in". Anderson started to work on the film after completing the script for Resident Evil: Apocalypse, with Shane Salerno co-writing. Salerno spent six months writing the shooting script, finished its development, and stayed on for revisions throughout the film's production. Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett received story credit on the film based on elements from their work on the original Alien.

Early reports claimed the story was about humans who tried to lure Predators with Alien eggs, although the idea was scrapped. Influenced by the work of Erich von Däniken, Anderson researched von Däniken's theories on how he believed early civilizations were able to construct massive pyramids with the help of aliens, an idea long debunked and based on misinterpretations of Aztec mythology. Anderson wove these ideas into Alien vs. Predator, describing a scenario in which Predators taught ancient humans to build pyramids and used Earth for rite of passage rituals every 100 years in which they would hunt Aliens. To explain how these ancient civilisations "disappeared without a trace", Anderson came up with the idea that the Predators, if overwhelmed by the Aliens, would use their self-destruct weapons to kill everything in the area. H. P. Lovecraft's novella At the Mountains of Madness (1931) served as an inspiration for the film, and several elements of the Aliens vs. Predator comic series were included. Anderson's initial script called for five Predators to appear in the film, although the number was later reduced to three.

As Alien vs. Predator was intended to be a sequel to the Predator films and prequel to the Alien series, Anderson was cautious of contradicting continuity in the franchises. He chose to set the film on the remote Norwegian Antarctic island of Bouvet commenting, "It's definitely the most hostile environment on Earth and probably the closest to an Alien surface you can get." Anderson thought that setting the film in an urban environment like New York City would break continuity with the Alien series as the protagonist, Ellen Ripley, had no knowledge the creatures existed. "You can't have an Alien running around the city now, because it would've been written up and everyone will know about it. So there's nothing in this movie that contradicts anything that already exists."

The first actor to be cast for Alien vs. Predator was Lance Henriksen, who played the character Bishop in Aliens and Alien 3. Although the Alien films are set hundreds of years in the future, Anderson wanted to keep continuity with the series by including a familiar actor. Henriksen plays billionaire and self-taught-engineer Charles Bishop Weyland, a character that ties in with the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as the original founder and CEO of Weyland Industries. According to Anderson, Weyland becomes known for the discovery of the pyramid, and as a result the Weyland-Yutani Corporation models the Bishop android in the Alien films after him; "when the Bishop android is created in 150 years time, it's created with the face of the creator. It's kind of like Microsoft building an android in 100 years time that has the face of Bill Gates."

Anderson opted for a European cast including Italian actor Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner from Scotland, and English actor Colin Salmon. Producer Davis said, "There's a truly international flavor to the cast, and gives the film a lot of character." Several hundred actresses attended the auditions to be cast as the film's heroine Alexa Woods, loosely based on the comic and novel protagonist Machiko Noguchi. Sanaa Lathan was selected, and one week later she flew to Prague to begin filming. The filmmakers knew there would be comparisons to Alien heroine Ellen Ripley and did not want a clone of the character, but wanted to make her similar while adding something different.

Anderson reported in an interview that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was willing to reprise his role as Major Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer from Predator in a short cameo appearance if he lost the recall election on condition that the filming should take place at his residence. Schwarzenegger, however, won the election with 48.58% of the votes and was unavailable to participate in Alien vs. Predator. Actress Sigourney Weaver, who starred as Ellen Ripley in the Alien series, said she was happy not to be in the film, as a possible crossover was "the reason I wanted my character to die in the first place", and thought the concept "sounded awful".

Production began in late 2003 at Barrandov Studios in Prague, Czech Republic, where most of the filming took place. Production designer Richard Bridgland was in charge of sets, props and vehicles, based on early concept art Anderson had created to give a broad direction of how things would look. 25 to 30 life-sized sets were constructed at Barrandov Studios, many of which were interiors of the pyramid. The pyramid's carvings, sculptures, and hieroglyphs were influenced by Egyptian, Cambodian, and Aztec civilisations, while the regular shifting of the pyramid's rooms was meant to evoke a sense of claustrophobia similar to the original Alien film. According to Anderson, if he was to build the sets in Los Angeles they would have cost $20 million. However, in Prague they cost $2 million, an important factor when the film's budget was less than $50 million.

Third scale miniatures several meters in height were created to give the film the effect of realism, rather than relying on computer generated imagery (CGI). For the whaling station miniatures and life-sized sets, over 700 bags of artificial snow were used (roughly 15–20 tons). A 4.5-meter miniature of an icebreaker with working lights and a mechanical moving radar was created, costing almost $37,000 and taking 10 weeks to create. Visual effects producer Arthur Windus, claimed miniatures were beneficial in the filming process: "With computer graphics, you need to spend a lot of time making it real. With a miniature, you shoot it and its there." A scale 25-meter miniature of the whaling station was created in several months. It was designed so the model could be collapsed and then reconstructed, which proved beneficial for a six-second shot which required a re-shoot.

Special effects company Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated (ADI) was hired for the film, having previously worked on Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Visual special effects producers Arthur Windus and John Bruno were in charge of the project, which contained 400 effects shots. ADI founders Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. and members of their company, began designing costumes, miniatures and effects in June 2003. For five months the creatures were redesigned, the Predators wrist blades being extended roughly four times longer than those in the Predator films, and a larger mechanical plasma caster was created for the Scar Predator.

The basic shape of the Predator mask was kept, although technical details were added and each Predator was given a unique mask to distinguish them from each other. These masks were created using clay, which was used to form moulds to create fiberglass copies. These copies were painted to give a weathered look, which Woodruff claims "is what the Predator is all about". A hydraulic Alien puppet was created so ADI would be able to make movements faster and give the Alien a "slimline and skeletal" appearance, rather than using an actor in a suit. The puppet required six people to run it; one for the head and body, two for the arms, and a sixth to make sure the signals were reaching the computer. Movements were recorded in the computer so that puppeteers would be able to repeat moves that Anderson liked. The puppet was used in six shots, including the fight scene with the Predator which took one month to film.

The crew tried to keep CGI use to a minimum, as Anderson said people in suits and puppets are scarier than CGI monsters as they are "there in the frame". Roughly 70% of scenes were created using suits, puppets, and miniatures. The Alien queen was filmed using three variations: a 4.8-meter practical version, a 1.2-meter puppet, and a computer-generated version. The practical version required 12 puppeteers to operate, and CGI tails were added to the Aliens and the queen as they were difficult to animate using puppetry. The queen alien's inner-mouth was automated though, and was powered by a system of hydraulics. Anderson praised Alien director Ridley Scott's and Predator director John McTiernan's abilities at building suspense by not showing the creatures until late in the film, something Anderson wanted to accomplish with Alien vs. Predator. "Yes, we make you wait 45 minutes, but once it goes off, from there until the end of the movie, it's fucking relentless".

Austrian composer Harald Kloser was hired to create the film's score. After completing the score for The Day After Tomorrow, Kloser was chosen by Anderson as he is a fan of the franchises. It was recorded in London, and was primarily orchestral as Anderson commented, "this is a terrifying movie and it needs a terrifying, classic movie score to go with it; at the same time it's got huge action so it needs that kind of proper orchestral support."

The score album was released on iTunes on 9 August 2004, and on CD on 31 August 2004 and received mixed reviews. James Christopher Monger of Allmusic thought Kloser introduced electronic elements well, and called "Alien vs. Predator Main Theme a particularly striking and serves as a continuous creative source for the composer to dip his baton in." Mike Brennan of Soundtrack, however, said it "lacks the ingenuity of the previous trilogy (Alien) and the Predator scores, which all shared a strong sense of rhythm in place of thematic content. Kloser throws in some interesting percussion cues ("Antarctica" and "Down the Tunnel"), but more as a sound effect than a consistent motif." John Fallon of JoBlo.com compared it to character development in the film, "too generic to completely engage or leave a permanent impression."

Alien vs. Predator was released on VHS, DVD, and PSP UMD Movies in North America on 25 January 2005. The DVD contained two audio commentaries. The first featured Paul W. S. Anderson, Lance Henriksen, and Sanaa Lathan, while the second included special effects supervisor John Bruno and ADI founders Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff. A 25-minute "Making of" featurette and a Dark Horse AVP comic cover gallery were included in the special features along with three deleted scenes from the film. On release, Alien vs. Predator debuted at number 1 on the Top DVD Sales and Top Video Rental charts in North America.

A two-disc "Extreme Edition" was released on 7 March 2005, featuring behind the scenes footage of the conception, pre-production, production, post-production, and licensing of the film. An "Unrated Edition" was released on 22 November 2005, containing the same special features as the Extreme Edition as well as an extra eight minutes of footage in the film. John J. Puccio of DVD Town remarked that the extra footage contained "a few more shots of blood, gore, guts, and slime to spice things up...and tiny bits of connecting matter to help us follow the story line better, but none of it amounts to much."

Alien vs. Predator was released in North America on 13 August 2004 in 3,395 theatres. The film grossed $38.2 million over its opening weekend for an average of $11,278 per theatre, and was number one at the box office. The film spent 16 weeks in cinemas and made $80,282,231 in North America. It grossed $9 million in the United Kingdom, $16 million in Japan, and $8 million in Germany and totalled $97,144,859 at the international box office. This brought the film's worldwide gross to $177,427,090, making it the second highest-grossing film in either the Predator or Alien franchises, behind Prometheus, which grossed over $403 million worldwide. It ranks third behind Aliens and Prometheus at the domestic box office.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 146 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Gore without scares and cardboard cut-out characters make this clash of the monsters a dull sit." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 29 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Rick Kisonak of Film Threat praised the film stating, "For a big dumb production about a movie monster smackdown, Alien vs. Predator is a surprisingly good time". Ian Grey of the Orlando Weekly felt, "Anderson clearly relished making this wonderful, utterly silly film; his heart shows in every drip of slime." Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com called it "a pretty movie to look at with its grandiose sets and top notch creature FX, but it's a lot like Anderson's previous works in that it's all facade and no foundation." Gary Dowell of The Dallas Morning News called the film, "a transparent attempt to jumpstart two run-down franchises". Ed Halter of The Village Voice described the film's lighting for fight sequences as, "black-on-black-in-blackness", while Ty Burr of The Boston Globe felt the lighting "left the audience in the dark".

A sequel titled Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was released in December 2007.

A fourth Predator film, titled The Predator, was released in September 2018, featuring Lex Wood's Xenomorph-bone spear from the conclusion of Alien vs. Predator on display at Project Stargazer.

Production began in late 2003 at Barrandov Studios in Prague, Czech Republic, where most of the filming took place.