Predator: Badlands’ Box Office Success Makes It 2025’s Most Important Disney Movie

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Heading into the weekend of November 14th-16th, it was unclear which movie would be number one. Some predicted The Running Man would take the top spot, while others thought Predator: Badlands would remain at number one. Surprisingly, it was Now You See Me: Now You Don’t that came out on top, exceeding even the most hopeful predictions. While the film earned a strong $75.5 million globally – a great result for a franchise that hadn’t released a new movie in nine years – Badlands still performed well.

Okay, so Badlands had a bit of a dip this weekend – it landed in third place domestically with $13 million, which was a pretty significant drop of 68%. But the good news is it’s still doing well internationally, bringing in another $16.1 million. That brings the total worldwide earnings up to $136.3 million, which is fantastic!

How Much Does Badlands Need to Make to Break Even?

Dan Trachtenberg’s new sci-fi action movie cost $105 million to make. Typically, a film needs to earn two and a half times its cost to cover its expenses. It’s uncertain if Badlands will reach that goal; after two weekends in theaters, it’s earned just over half of the $262.5 million needed to break even.

Despite a potentially slow start, the film has a good chance of succeeding. Even after leaving theaters, it’s likely to perform well on streaming services, largely because audiences are really enjoying it. It’s a well-made film that focuses on strong characters and features action sequences that enhance the story, not just provide thrills. Viewers appreciate quality content, so even if it doesn’t improve in theaters next week, it’s expected to become a popular choice for home viewing.

It’s still uncertain whether the movie will be profitable in theaters. A lot depends on the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, which is crucial for box office success. While it’s not a blockbuster like The Running Man, Badlands is expected to gain momentum through positive word-of-mouth. We anticipate repeat viewers bringing family and friends, as well as new audiences who have heard good things and decide to see it with their families.

While Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good are releasing around Thanksgiving to attract families, they’re very different from Badlands. They will definitely draw audiences, but they’re unlikely to hurt Badlands‘ holiday performance as much as a similar movie aimed at the same viewers would.

A Successful Mining of an Established Property

Since Bob Iger became Disney’s CEO again in November 2022, the company has increasingly focused on reviving older, forgotten properties. Disney had started doing this with Star Wars back in 2015, but this strategy has become even more common since Iger’s return.

Despite that success, many of the company’s major film franchises – including some that hadn’t been used in a while and others that were already established – haven’t performed well recently. For example, in 2023, they released films like The Little Mermaid, but also Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Marvels, and Haunted Mansion, none of which were huge hits.

This year also saw the release of Lilo & Stitch, but three Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Snow White, and Tron: Ares all underperformed at the box office. Badlands, released by 20th Century Studios, is a Disney film that has performed much better than Ares. Ares has already finished its theatrical run, earning only $141 million worldwide, despite having a production budget more than double that of Badlands.

I’ve been thinking about what made this film such a hit, and it really comes down to the things that already make it so good. It’s fascinating to me that it didn’t need to be directly tied to the most popular parts of the franchise to succeed. It proves that audiences aren’t just craving answers to old mysteries. Give them a compelling story with characters they can really connect with, and they’ll be hooked. That’s what this film did, and it’s brilliant!

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2025-11-18 01:42