Predator: Badlands sets franchise record in opening weekend box office, overtaking original Schwarzenegger movie and Predators

Elle Fanning in Predator: Badlands
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

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.

Predator: Badlands | Final Trailer - YouTube Predator: Badlands | Final Trailer - YouTube
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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.

Anthony McGlynn
Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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