1, 2, or 3 franchises: where do you stand on this?

[Traveler37]

Is it Alien & Predator, Alien and Predator, or 3 franchises: Alien, Predator, and AVP?

For me, I see it as two movie sagas that share a pair of crossover films.
Alien 1-4, AVP 1-2, Prometheus, Covenant, Romulus, plus a TV series next year.
Predator 1-2, AVP 1-2, Predator 3-4, Prey, and another film in production.

What's your stance? One big franchise? Two that share a pair of crossovers? Three franchises?

[SM]

Two.

Alien
AvP and Predator

[Traveler37]

Two.

Alien
AvP and Predator

Not a bad way to look at it.

[Nightmare Asylum]

I'd prefer to look at it as three separate on-screen continuities, given my dislike of the AVP films that we currently have, but... I'm inclined to agree with SM, if only because of The Predator's (another film I dislike) inclusion of the tail spear from AVP.

[Traveler37]

I wonder if I am alone in seeing AVP 1-2 as "Alien 5-6" and "Predator 3-4."

[RakaiThwei]

I wonder if I am alone in seeing AVP 1-2 as "Alien 5-6" and "Predator 3-4."

No, I see them that way too.

But I exclude PREDATORS, The Predator, Prey, Prometheus, Covenant and Romulus.

[SM]

I'd prefer to look at it as three separate on-screen continuities, given my dislike of the AVP films that we currently have, but... I'm inclined to agree with SM, if only because of The Predator's (another film I dislike) inclusion of the tail spear from AVP.

Yep.  Otherwise I'd separate out AvP and Predator.

[PAS]

3 different franchises and continuities. Predator and Alien are at their best when by themselves when it comes to the big screen. Otherwise both get character assassinated, with the Aliens becoming parody of themselves and the Predators becoming space samurai.

[Traveler37]

I wonder if I am alone in seeing AVP 1-2 as "Alien 5-6" and "Predator 3-4."

No, I see them that way too.

But I exclude PREDATORS, The Predator, Prey, Prometheus, Covenant and Romulus.

That's fair, no one said you have to like every film.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Four: Alien, Predator, individually separate for now.

AVP: consisting of 2004, Concrete Jungle, Requiem and AVP 2010. Plus the Alien and Predator films before or including 2010. And whatever ends up being the next shot at an AVP continuity.

I don't see the spear in The Predator as a reference to AVP 2004 as any more meaningful than the trophy in Predator 2 as a reference to Aliens, it's not even given similar gravitas.

[Traveler37]

Four: Alien, Predator, individually separate for now.

AVP: consisting of 2004, Concrete Jungle, Requiem and AVP 2010. Plus the Alien and Predator films before or including 2010. And whatever ends up being the next shot at an AVP continuity.

I don't see the spear in The Predator as a reference to AVP 2004 as any more meaningful than the trophy in Predator 2 as a reference to Aliens, it's not even given similar gravitas.

Four? What is the 4th franchise? Alien, Predator, AVP, and...?

If we go by release order: Alien 1-2, Predator 1-2, Alien 3-4, AVP 1-2, Predators (part 3), Prometheus & Covenant (Ridley's prequels), The Predator (part 4), Prey (Pred. prequel), Romulus (between Alien & Aliens), with "Alien Earth" coming to Hulu next year and "Predator Badlands" filming, I think.

Regarding crossing the two over, we got the xeno skull in the trophy case in Predator 2. I dunno if this was a nod to the AVP comic book, or if this waas just a wink wink easter egg kind of thing. Fast forward 14 years later or 7 years after Resurrection. At the time, the directed intended this to be a sequel to the two Predator films and a prequel to Alien. The brother-duo who directed AVP-R as a direct sequel had the same idea in mind, AVP 1-2 as sequels to Predator 1-2, prequels to Alien.

After AVP, Ridley Scott decided... no, AVP stupid. His two prequels along with Romulus subsequently ignored AVP. Predators (3rd film) and Prey neither acknowledge nor contradict the AVP concept. However, The Predator (4th film) does acknowledge AVP. An alternate ending was going to have "the secret weapon" be Ripley from the future. 

For me, AVP counts as "Alien" and "Predator," not in a continuity sense, but in the sense that... it clearly features both monsters. hah Now, if we really wanna get technical on continuity, it goes like this...

Alien #1: Ripley's 4 films, AVP (2 prequels)
Alien #2: Ripley's 4 films, Ridley's 2 prequels, Romulus (Alien sequel, Aliens prequel?)
Predator: Predator 1-2, AVP 1-2, Predator 3-4, Prey

I spend too much time thinking about this stuff. 

[BlueMarsalis79]

Four: Alien, Predator, individually separate for now.

AVP: consisting of 2004, Concrete Jungle, Requiem and AVP 2010. Plus the Alien and Predator films before or including 2010. And whatever ends up being the next shot at an AVP continuity.

The fourth has yet to exist, but it definitely will, but certainly not as a continuation of the now contradictory to the Alien Franchise prior AVP continuity.

[TheDerelict]

Alien.

Predator and AvP

[Traveler37]

Four: Alien, Predator, individually separate for now.

AVP: consisting of 2004, Concrete Jungle, Requiem and AVP 2010. Plus the Alien and Predator films before or including 2010. And whatever ends up being the next shot at an AVP continuity.

The fourth has yet to exist, but it definitely will, but certainly not as a continuation of the now contradictory to the Alien Franchise prior AVP continuity.

Fourth? Alien (7), Predator (5), AVP (2); what is the 4th?

[Nightmare Asylum]

The new continuity that will presumably be created once a new AVP film (totally separate from the previous two iterations, and potentially linked to the actual Alien universe) is released.

Spoiler

Potentially as soon as next year, under the (working?) title Badlands.

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