As expected, Marvel's box office blockbuster sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had no trouble taking care of business in its first two weeks at the box office. In its third frame this weekend, though, it was expected to be a close race between Guardians 2 and 20th Century Fox's Alien: Covenant, and this weekend's box office race most certainly delivered. It was in fact a very close race, with Alien: Covenant coming out on top with $36 million, with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 following close behind with $35 million. Since these movies are so close together, it's possible that they could swap spots on the charts when the actual numbers are released.

This opening weekend tally is far below the $51 million debut of 2012's Prometheus, with this Alien prequel, set 10 years after the events of Prometheus. The prequel Prometheus was see as quite the disappointment to many fans ,but Alien: Covenant was received better than Prometheus by the critics, but not by much. Alien: Covenant is standing at a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, just ahead of Prometheus' 72% rating. The other two newcomers, the Warner Bros. teen romance Everything, Everything and 20th Century Fox's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul weren't received well by critics, earning a 43% rating and a 17% rating, respectively

Box Office Mojo reports that Alien: Covenant, which kicks off an Alien prequel trilogy that will connect to the original 1979 Alien movie, will open in approximately 3,600 theaters, compared to a roughly 2,900-theater debut for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and an estimated 2,800-theater rollout for Everything, Everything. We're predicting that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will not be too far behind Alien: Covenant, posting a third-weekend gross of $34.2 million, which, along with the sequel's weekday haul, should put it over the $300 million domestic mark in just its third weekend in theaters. The top 5 is rounded out by newcomer Everything, Everything ($10.4 million), Snatched ($7.6 million), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul ($7.2 million).

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in Alien with Alien: Covenant, the second chapter in his Alien prequel trilogy that began with Prometheus and connects directly to Scott's 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the "synthetic" David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. The cast also includes Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Jussie Smollett, Amy Seimetz, Carmen Ejogo, Callie Hernandez, Noomi Rapace and James Franco.

The family adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul essentially serves as a reboot of the existing franchise, introducing a brand new cast. The family adventure features Tom Everett Scott and Alicia Silverstone portraying the parents, and Jason Ian Drucker, Charlie Wright, Owen Asztalos playing their children. Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn played the parents in the first three movies, with Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Owen Fielding and Connor Fielding playing their kids., based on the record-breaking book series, a family road trip to attend Meemaw's 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course, thanks to Greg's newest scheme to (finally!) become famous. This

Everything, Everything tells the unlikely love story of Maddy (Amandla Stenberg), a smart, curious and imaginative 18-year-old who due to an illness cannot leave the protection of the hermetically sealed environment within her house, and Olly (Nick Robinson), the boy next door who won't let that stop them. Maddy is desperate to experience the much more stimulating outside world, and the promise of her first romance. Gazing through windows and talking only through texts, she and Olly form a deep bond that leads them to risk everything to be together...even if it means losing everything.

The top 10 will be rounded out by King Arthur: Legend of the Sword ($7.4 million), The Fate of the Furious ($3.1 million), The Boss Baby ($2.4 million) Beauty and the Beast ($1.9 million) and How to Be a Latin Lover ($1.5 million). Also opening in limited release is IFC's Wakefield and ArtEffects' Champion, although it isn't clear if there are any plans for expansion. Looking ahead to next weekend, Paramount debuts its R-rated remake Baywatch on Thursday, May 25, with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales arriving a day later on Friday, May 26, for a Memorial Day weekend box office showdown. Also arriving in limited release is Broad Green's documentary Buena Vista Social Club: Adios, Screen Media's Drone, Parade Deck Films' The Here After, Indican's action film Jasmine and Abramorama's Long Strange Trip - The Untold Story of The Grateful Dead. Take a look at our box office projections, and check back on Sunday for the weekend estimates for the weekend of May 19.