Predator: Badlands Overtakes 2025 Movie From a Beloved $1.1 Billion Action Franchise at the Box Office

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Despite a generally slow fall movie season, Predator: Badlands has been a surprising success. The film opened to record-breaking numbers and has continued to perform well since then, significantly exceeding initial expectations. Badlands is now the highest-grossing Predator movie domestically, and it’s quickly climbing the worldwide charts, even surpassing other major action releases from this year.

Currently, Predator: Badlands has earned $138.5 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. This is more than the $137.2 million made by Ballerina: From the World of John Wick this summer. Badlands is also close to becoming one of the year’s top 25 highest-grossing films, needing just a few more million to pass Tron: Ares.

Why Predator: Badlands Beat Ballerina at the Box Office

The John Wick movies have been a huge hit for over ten years, with each new film earning more money than the last. John Wick: Chapter 4 made over $447 million worldwide, which encouraged Lionsgate to create a spin-off movie, Ballerina. However, Ballerina broke the series’ winning streak, losing almost $100 million at the box office. While critics generally liked the film (giving it a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), it didn’t generate the same excitement as previous John Wick movies, which impacted ticket sales. Ballerina opened in second place but quickly dropped in popularity as its time in theaters continued.

Unlike John Wick: Chapter 4, Predator: Badlands received much more positive reviews (scoring 86% on Rotten Tomatoes), with many viewers enjoying it as a creative addition to the Predator story. It was also the first Predator movie released in theaters after the franchise gained new popularity with streaming releases like Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, which made it feel like a bigger deal for fans. While John Wick 4 had a clear conclusion that might have satisfied casual viewers, Predator fans were eager to see a new film focused on the Yautja themselves.

It’s worth noting that Predator: Badlands benefited from a slow period for movie releases, coming out after a particularly weak October. It didn’t face much competition and easily reached the top spot. Ballerina, however, launched during the busy summer movie season. While it aimed to attract older action movie fans with something different, it was overshadowed by bigger films like How to Train Your Dragon, 28 Years Later, and F1. Ballerina likely would have performed better with a release at a different time of year.

Both the Predator and John Wick franchises had strong years, but now find themselves on different paths. The success of Predator: Badlands should give director Trachtenberg the opportunity to create more installments and explore new ideas. Lionsgate is still committed to the John Wick universe, having announced John Wick 5 with Keanu Reeves. However, the disappointing performance of Ballerina may affect future spinoff plans. A film centered around Donnie Yen’s character Caine is in the works, though it doesn’t have a release date yet. Ballerina’s failure at the box office could change which projects Lionsgate decides to move forward with.

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2025-11-20 18:43