Predator: Badlands Box Office Sets Major Record Amid Franchise's First Theatrical Debut In 7 Years

Predator: Badlands is set to break a major box office record during its opening weekend. 2025’s Predator: Badlands is the first installment in the sci-fi action franchise to hit theaters since 2018’s The Predator. The two most recent installments, the 2022 prequel Prey and the 2025 animated feature Killer of Killers, both debuted directly on streaming. Both were directed or co-directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who also helmed Badlands.

Per Deadline, as of Saturday morning, Predator: Badlands is projected to earn a 3-day total of $37 million during its opening weekend at the domestic box office. This total will break the record for the highest-grossing debut in the flagship Predator franchise. The previous highest-grossing domestic debut for the franchise was the $24.8 million opening weekend of 2010’s Predators.

The only movie connected to the franchise in any capacity to have had a higher debut is 2004’s AVP: Alien vs. Predator. However, that title only debuted with $38.3 million, so it is entirely possible that Badlands could still exceed it once the final numbers come in. Below, see a breakdown of the box office performance of the previous Predator movies and Alien crossovers:

It remains to be seen how much the movie can grow. While it remains to be seen if it can overcome AVP‘s opening weekend, Badlands could be on a trajectory to outdo its overall $172.5 million gross by the end of its run, thanks to the fact that audiences have given it a CinemaScore of A-, which is the best ever for the franchise, beating the original Predator‘s B+.

Critics’ Predator: Badlands reviews have also been strong, earning it a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 85% (the third best of the franchise, behind Killer of Killers at 95% and Prey at 94%). All of these factors could prove to be very helpful, as the movie’s reported $105 million budget could mean that it may need to earn as much as $262.5 million if it hopes to break even in theaters.

Predator: Badlands‘ projected opening weekend gross is also more than enough for it to take No. 1 at the domestic box office for the weekend. Halloween weekend was the lowest grossing of the year so far, and in fact, the new sci-fi movie is expected to outgross that weekend’s entire top 5 combined (Black Phone 2, Regretting You, Chainsaw Man, KPop Demon Hunters, and Bugonia).

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