The box office figures for Predator: Badlands‘ second weekend at theatres have been released. The film opened with a franchise-best domestic debut of $40 million, easily topping the chart in its first weekend. However, in its second weekend, it recorded a steep decline, dropping 68% in its second weekend with takings of $13 million, placing it third domestically behind Now You See Me: Now You Don’t and The Running Man.
This drop gives it a domestic total of $66.3 million, already surpassing the unadjusted lifetime domestic gross of the original Predator ($59.7M). It has earned a solid $70 million from overseas markets, bringing its global total to $136.3 million. While a second-weekend drop in the 65-70% range is generally considered sharp for a high-profile blockbuster, it is worth noting that the crossover film Alien vs Predator experienced a similar second-weekend decline of 67.6% back in 2004.
More recently, last year’s Alien: Romulus dropped 61% in its second weekend but went on to achieve a successful final gross. Alien: Romulus was just a little bit higher at the same point and ended up earning $350 million globally despite being R-rated.
Thia & Dek
Predator: Badlands is a huge success, creatively and commercially, for the franchise. Its current domestic total of $66.3 million means Predator: Badlands is already the highest-grossing solo Predator film domestically (unadjusted for inflation). The film’s strong audience reception, evidenced by a ‘Certified Fresh’ score of 85% from critics and a 95% from audiences, along with an A- CinemaScore, suggests strong “word-of-mouth” that could mitigate future losses.
Here’s a comparison table with the box office totals of previous Predator films:
| Movie Title | Release Date | Production Budget | Domestic Box Office | Worldwide Box Office | Worldwide Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predator | Jun 12, 1987 | $18.0M | $59.7M | $98.3M | $285M |
| Predator 2 | Nov 21, 1990 | $35.0M | $30.7M | $54.8M | $145M |
| AVP: Alien Vs. Predator | Aug 13, 2004 | $70.0M | $80.3M | $172.5M | $295M |
| Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Dec 25, 2007 | $40.0M | $41.8M | $128.9M | $199M |
| Predators | Jul 9, 2010 | $40.0M | $52.0M | $127.2M | $170M |
| The Predator | Sep 14, 2018 | $88.0M | $51.0M | $159.5M | $205M |
| Prey | Aug 5, 2022 | $65.0M | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Predator: Killer of Killers | Jun 6, 2025 | $50.0M | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Predator: Badlands | Nov 7, 2025 | $105.0M | $66.3M | $136M | TBD |
The film, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and starring Elle Fanning in the dual roles of synthetics Thia and Tessa cost $105 million. It will need to make at least $250 million to turn a profit for the studio. As you can see, Predator: Badlands‘ $66.3 million domestic total beats every other Predator film except Alien vs Predator. However, it’s a very different story if you take inflation into account and there’s some way to go to catch the rest.
It is still unknown what director Dan Trachtenberg has next lined up in the Predator franchise. Prey 2 is supposed to be in development and sees the return of Amber Midthunder as Naru. Perhaps, we may get a direct sequel to Predator: Badlands if this one does well.
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I didn't get a chance to really play God of War during its heyday since it came out after my PS2 broke and by then we went to the Xbox.
Why not? I don't understand videogame-coded. Thats not a slang I am familiar with. You must have thought of a video game in mind when you said that.
Badlands can be an Action RPG
KOK can be a God of War-style game.
What game would Prey be like is all I am asking
Here is my proposed Predator RPG
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=69464.0
I will add more stuff once I think about it longer.
Well some scenes in KoK could fit with a God Of War type of game, for example.
Can you place it in a video game genre, because I don't think I understand here unless you speak my nerd language.
Each chapter of KoK already feels like a video game cut scene
Beat them up could fit, or a more classical third person action game where you could play either humans or predators.
Agreed with you about the original movie.
Though I do think Badlands could inspire more movies as well as other mediums with similar storylines where a Predator is the main character. I'm especially hoping it ignites the chance for a video game based around this concept.
Well I even say even with the example of Feral covered in blood is still one I raise an eyebrow at. It's not meant to be as the big reveal to us, but rather the story's conveyance of how utterly powerful Feral is as the narrative's Goliath as is Naru to the narrative's David. It takes to what JH and CH did in their respective scenes of them ripping out the spines of Billy and Jerry for trophies; predatory beings from the stars roaring to the heavens in a display of pure power and dominance over the local lifeforms, and elevates it to a higher bloody level with Predator that really reveals in its gorey act of glory. It's an act that is very in line with what a Predator would do. Personally, I also love how this upscales the Predator's feat of strength in films, where they basically are strong enough not only to kill a bear in one punch but at least deadlift 400-700lb on average. Puts in context to how much JH really was toying with Dutch.
Besides that, I think the one thing where I can agree with the fan fiction aspect is the new alternate ending to KoK. I'm still not too sure about having the survivors being abducted and thrown all in a combat arena. I do like all three of his movies so far, so I'm hoping that this ending has a promising follow up. I still would have liked it if it was going to follow up on Naru being hunted by a younger Greyback but we're far from that now.
Badlands will inspire nothing. No one will ever take it as a reference for other movies. In a few years it will already be mostly forgotten, just as Kok already is.
Everyone is inspired by something else, I agree. That's even a good thing I'd say. But there is being inspired and there is tastelessly rip off something. I think Dan has done the latter too many times for my taste.
When you directly copy and paste an idea, usually it shows.
The grappling hook is minor and not the best example I concede, but the rest is not.
Also the fan fiction aspect of some of his other ideas is through the roof I'm sorry to say.
... inflation is a bitch.
While I do really enjoy Badlands, I can see where someone questions it as a good Predator movie. It's debatable because it's very different from previous movies which clearly was Dan's intent...
I think that's why I enjoy it over the likes of Predators and Prey though. They were both guilty of playing things too safe and clung too close to the original formula and I find them to be boring because of this.
But Badlands is still flawed in terms of pacing and tone which I think some adjustments (even minor ones) could have felt like big improvements that would have made this movie feel more like a film about an actual Predator as the main character and easier for some fans to accept into the series.
Despite those story issues and some gripes in design choices, I never thought we'd see this sort of story attempt play out on the big screen so it's refreshing in that sense for me.
Who has ever said that lol. Not exactly dissuading the bitter accusations rn
Some of these I can understand to a slight degree, like I would have liked Badlands to be a bit more grittier myself, but the "great idea siphoner" comment is where I am a bit lost. Can you elaborate further on why this is even a bad thing? My mind always goes back to how "art cannot exist in a vacuum and is always influenced by other forces, as nothing is truly original when you really look deep into it", when I read that. Of course ideas will be inspired by other ideas, that's part of the creative process, unless I am misunderstanding.
Like saying the grappling scorpion weapon getting ripped off from The Predator seems like its saying every Predator movie that used a plasmacaster is unoriginal because it's ripping off from the first film. It's just part of the arsenal.
First and foremost, Dek can be replaced by a human knight/warrior, another alien creature from star wars trying to prove himself etc... It would change very little in the actual movie, thus not having a point in being a predator movie.
PG13 is a business choice, that's supposed to bring more money in, which softens the movie.
CGI fest, just like every this era blockbuster (and that no one can deny eye to eye), what's really different about this one, comparing it to Star Wars, Avatar etc ?
Also Dan's a great idea siphoner, but that's not his ideas. Numerous nice visual or else ideas are blatantly taken from elsewhere.
Few examples the blood revealing camouflaged predator in Prey ripped from... The Predator (lol), the grappling scorpion weapon from Kok was also in The Predator before, the dangerous planet with wild fauna ripped off the Avatar planet, I cannot believe he didn't took it from there.
If he wants to work on other IP's so bad which is obvious now (star wars, mad max etc) well he should do it.
I know you didn't want to explain your thoughts on the film, but I am curious to see what went wrong in your eyes. I never thought that it went side ways, just that simply it is purposely a different film that is meant apart from the usual formula that we have been familiar with for decades and the leap is paying off big time. If anything, I do wonder if it would have reached a similar positive acclaim if it went to the same ol' same ol' stuff. Shame there is no magic orb to peer into an alternate timeline.
Old timer/young timer is a silly thing. You love the movies or you don't.
Badlands is a predator movie that betrays what the creature is.
Dan apparently wanted to make another movie, with other IP's, it's so visible it's sometimes funny to watch. I'm not sure making a Predator movie was his main priority.
The amount of money IPs make due to merchandise, streaming rights etc is ridiculous. Yoghurt from Spaceballs did tell us this years ago.
Atleast they didnt try and remake the original, subvert it like in The Predator or just pick another time period.
Anime movie > Predator Badlands
Is hard to believe but just matter of time to used to this.
I wanted to believe A.Romulus will be conquered by a mighty Dek and still cannot be called Flop.
Dont want to imagine our beloved franchise stuck in Streaming platforms. I now its not shame but, anyway
I noticed it in Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Halo. It's a very popular tactic on Reddit.
I've noticed a becoming trend to just absolutely shit on the actual good installments of either franchise as of late. Or severely downplay them.
Their bitterness towards the 1987 Predator movie is an interesting take.
I don't base my assessment of movies on their box office or audience reactions. Those are totally separate considerations.