Copyright Men's Journal
Predator: Badlands has broken a long-running record for the veteran franchise during its first weekend of release. Predator: Badlands Breaks 20-Year Box Office Record for Franchise Dan Trachtenberg’s well-received sequel to his live-action Prey (2022) and his animated Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) topped the domestic box office with a better-than-expected cume of $40 million. That’s the best opening weekend ever for the franchise, which kicked off in 1987 with the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led Predator. Badlands’ take is also the best for the franchise in more than two decades. The last time the series came close was in 2004, when Alien vs. Predator opened to $38 million (not adjusted for inflation). It’s a Big Victory for the Predator But unlike Alien vs. Predator, a much-anticipated and equally hyped match-up between two of the horror genre’s most venerable franchises, Badlands’ opening belongs entirely to the Predator—or the Yautja, as we recently learned. Historically, the Predator series has never really troubled the box office. With the exception of Alien vs. Predator, none of the installments have surpassed the $55 million mark. Predators (2010), until now the highest-grossing Predator (sans Alien) movie, topped out at $52 million after opening to $24.7 million. Its follow-up, 2018’s The Predator, totaled $51 million after opening to $24.6 million, which shows the series had realized all of its audience potential. Following the universal praise for Prey and (to a lesser extent) Killer of Killers, both of which were released directly to Hulu and Disney+, Trachtenberg has reinvigorated the franchise with his third installment in as many years. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, Badlands will go on to become the Predator franchise’s highest-grossing installment even after alienating some hardcore fans with its PG-13 rating. With those numbers, it won’t be long before we see the Predator’s return. Entertainment Review: ‘Predator: Badlands’ Is No ‘Prey,’ But It’ll Do Declan Gallagher Predator: Badlands is currently in cinemas nationwide.
