Predator: Badlands Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Is 96%, Setting A Huge Record & Clean Sweep For Franchise

With Predator: Badlands now in theaters, audiences are finally sharing their thoughts on the new sci-fi installment.

The verdict has come in, and based on over 500 verified ratings, Predator: Badlands earns a whopping 96% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. If that audience score stands as more moviegoers check out the new installment, it would easily be the highest-rated Predator movie ever, based on the reception from general viewers.

Additionally, this would set a clean sweep for the revived era that’s been helmed by Dan Trachtenberg. Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers also received “fresh” designations by both critics and audiences, which sets a pristine record for the director thus far.

This Rotten Tomatoes streak is just an indication of how much the Predator franchise has evolved since Trachtenberg became creatively involved. Before Prey‘s streaming release, the sci-fi franchise struggled to impress critics and audiences, including the infamous 2018 reboot.

Reactions from critics and audiences have been overwhelmingly positive, with Badlands praised for its action-packed sequences, entertainment factor, and fresh new characters. Even though it may be the least-violent Predator movie due to the PG-13 rating, which is also a franchise first, it seems that audiences are unbothered by that change as many enjoyed following the protagonist’s adventure in finding its adversary.

Additionally, Badlands also shows a different side of the titular character than how it’s typically depicted in past movies. The outcast predator now becomes the hero of his own story, as he’s tasked to hunt for his trophy to gain his place in his Yautja clan. He does so with the help of synthetic ally, Thia (Elle Fanning), as they venture to find his crucial hunt.

While the Predator franchise continues to thrive in the 2020s, there are currently no follow-up movies after Badlands. However, the Predator: Badlands ending may indicate that there could be more to the story, leaving the doors open to continuing the adventures with Dek and Thia.

In addition, it’s expected that Trachtenberg has at least one more Predator movie down the pipeline. While speaking with SFX Magazine earlier this year, the filmmaker confirmed that he was developing three ideas, following the positive reception for Prey.

“Killers is one, Badlands is two and the third one is something else.“

With Killer of Killers and Badlands now released in theaters, this leaves one more project for Trachtenberg. While he has yet to name what this project is, it’s been rumored to be Prey 2.

Although Predator: Badlands is garnering positive reviews, the real test would be its box office power. This would be the first to really test the franchise since Prey and Killer of Killers went straight to streaming on Hulu, leaving Badlands to become the first Predator movie to release in theaters since Shane Black’s infamous 2018 reboot. In what was a record-breaking low box office for October, projections are showing that Badlands could revive the theater experience with a $25 million to $30 million opening weekend.

Predator: Badlands is now in theaters.

Release Date

November 5, 2025

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Dan Trachtenberg

Writers

Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas

Producers

Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt

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  Elle Fanning

  Thia / Tessa

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  Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

  Dek / Father