Dan Trachtenberg continues to bring new life to the Yautja. Predator: Badlands, the second installment in the sci-fi franchise to be directed by him, is about to set an incredible opening weekend record, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

The film arrived in theatres this week, and as of today, Sunday, November 9, Predator: Badlands has earned the highest-grossing first weekend for the property. Yes, that means it's done better than the 1987 original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the 1990 sequel led by Danny Glover, 2010's Predators and 2018's The Predator.

At time of writing, per The Hollywood Reporter, Badlands is expected to gross between $36 and $38.5 million for its initial weekend in cinemas in the US, and around $80 million worldwide, quite literally running through all prior Yautja-centred Predator flicks. If the production lands on the upper end of that scale, it'll dethrone Alien vs. Predator as the biggest opening across both mainline and crossover installments.

Elle Fanning heads up Badlands, as a Weyland-Yutani synth who buddies up with a young Yautja to survive the harsh landscape of a far off planet. It’s the second Predator film not to be set on Earth, after Predators, and telling another fresh story seems to have worked in peaking curiosity.

What helps even more is Trachtenberg injected new life into the franchise with Prey in 2022, taking a historical angle as a young Comanche woman, portrayed by Amber Midthunder, must defend her tribe from an encroaching extraterrestrial threat. Prey released straight onto Disney Plus, a move widely considered short-sighted given how good it is.

Disney and 20th Century Pictures have learned their lesson, it seems. Predator: Badlands is in theatres now, if you fancy seeing the apex hunter up close.

If you've already seen it, our Predator: Badlands ending explained will help break it down for you, and we have an upcoming movies guide for everything else coming to theatres.

New sci-fi movie The Creator features a cameo from a Star Wars droid – but the team behind the film isn't revealing any more details just yet.  

"We have an Easter egg of K-2SO in the movie as well," VFX supervisor Jay Cooper told The Direct. "But you know, you're going to have to find that one on your own… It’s in there. I can circle it if I’m given the chance."

K-2SO is the droid voiced by Alan Tudyk in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and he's set to make another appearance in the upcoming Andor season 2. A former Imperial enforcer droid, he was reprogrammed by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to serve the Rebellion. Rogue One, which serves as a prequel to A New Hope, was directed by The Creator helmer Gareth Edwards, so it makes sense that the former would make a nod to the latter. 

"I needed to get off the merry-go-round, do you know what I mean?" Edwards previously told SFX magazine about the break he took between making his 2016 Star Wars movie and new release The Creator. "In Hollywood, you can get stuck on the hamster wheel, or whatever analogy you want to use. I just wanted to get off and have a break to take some time thinking about the next thing."

The Creator stars John David Washington as an ex-special forces agent who's tasked with taking down the architect of the AI forces that have taken over the planet. The cast also includes Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, and Allison Janney.

For more from the galaxy far, far away, check out our guides to all things Ahsoka:

• Who is Hera Syndulla?
• Who is Jacen Syndulla?
• The purrgil explained
• The history between Anakin and Ahsoka explained 
• Where is Ahsoka in Revenge of the Sith?
• Everything you need to know about Star Wars Rebels 
• The Ahsoka end-credits clues explained
• The Nightsisters of Dathomir explained
• Who is Clancy Brown playing in Ahsoka?
• Huyang explained
• Who is Inquisitor Marrok in Ahsoka?
• Where have we seen Morgan Elsbeth before?
• What to watch before Ahsoka 
• How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order
• The Ahsoka timeline explained