The fall box office is in dire straits, and Hollywood is pinning its hopes on a toothy, otherworldly hunter to save the day. But here’s where it gets controversial: Can Predator: Badlands truly revive a slumping season with a projected $60 million-plus global opening? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as 20th Century Studios aims to claw its way out of a financial funk. With $25 million-plus expected from the U.S. and Canada alone, the stakes are sky-high.
This isn’t Disney’s first sci-fi rodeo this season—Tron: Ares fizzled with a $134.3 million worldwide haul against a $220 million budget. And this is the part most people miss: Predator: Badlands is banking on a broader audience, thanks to its PG-13 rating, which could lure younger viewers beyond the franchise’s core older male fanbase. Typically, Predator films are R-rated, so this shift is a calculated risk.
What gives Badlands an edge? Director Dan Trachtenberg, who breathed new life into the franchise with Prey, Hulu’s 2022 blockbuster that became the streamer’s biggest premiere at the time. Here’s the twist: Unlike most Predator films, where humans are the hunted, Badlands flips the script, turning the alien hunter into the prey. Early reviews are glowing, with an 88% fresh rating post-premiere.
Domestically, advance ticket sales are on par with Ballerina and The Accountant 2 but trail behind Tron: Ares. Yet, buzz for Badlands feels stronger. It’ll hit 3,700 U.S.-Canada theaters, including premium formats like IMAX. But here’s the kicker: While the Predator franchise has eight films since 1987, its domestic openings have a ceiling—the 2004 Alien vs. Predator holds the record at $38.2 million. Can Badlands break the mold?
Internationally, the film launches this weekend in key markets like France, Korea, and Indonesia, expanding to China, India, and the UK by Friday. Projections hover around $35-$38 million offshore, but don’t expect a China-sized windfall like 2018’s The Predator, which raked in $19 million there. The real question: Can Badlands outperform its predecessor’s $146 million global total?
Promotion is in full swing, with stars Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, and Trachtenberg hitting red carpets from London’s BFI Imax to MCM Comic-Con. Meanwhile, North America braces for a wave of adult-targeted releases like Christy, Nuremberg, and Die My Love, each vying for low-single-digit millions.
Controversial take: Is Predator: Badlands a franchise revival or just another band-aid on Hollywood’s box office woes? And can a PG-13 rating truly expand its audience without diluting the brand? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this debate is far from over.
