Predator: Badlands’ New Record-Breaking Success Proves A Critical Point About the Franchise

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Before it came out, Predator: Badlands faced a lot of doubt. Fans questioned the decision to tell the story from the perspective of a young Predator, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), as previous films always focused on humans being hunted. The new look for Dek also caused controversy, with many criticizing his more human-like build and shorter dreadlocks, arguing it didn’t match the intimidating appearance of past Predators. Despite these concerns, the film proved everyone wrong and became a huge financial success. Predator: Badlands earned a franchise-record $80 million in its opening weekend and ultimately grossed $184.5 million worldwide – the highest total for any Predator movie, including the Alien vs. Predator films. This success showed that the filmmakers’ bold new direction was a good one and paved the way for strong sales when the film became available to rent and buy.

Hulu announced that Predator: Badlands had a bigger opening weekend than any other movie on the service since Prey in 2022, attracting almost 9 million viewers in its first five days. Disney also reported that people have watched over 300 million hours of Predator movies and shows across Hulu and Disney+ globally. These numbers show that while big movies still do well in theaters, the Predator franchise is especially successful when people can stream it at home.

The Predator Franchise Needs to Tap Into the Streaming Potential

The strong performance of Predator: Badlands on streaming services suggests director Dan Trachtenberg should focus more on creating content for these platforms. While a theatrical release helps build awareness, consistent viewership at home shows streaming is a more reliable way to develop the Predator franchise. Streaming offers more creative freedom because filmmakers aren’t as pressured by opening weekend box office numbers, allowing them to take risks on innovative ideas – like the unique alien perspective in Badlands – without the fear of losing money if those ideas don’t immediately appeal to everyone.

The success of the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers shows a great way to expand the Predator universe using different creative approaches. Animated series and shorter episodes are ideal for building out the world and exploring different time periods or alien planets that would be too expensive for a live-action movie. Plus, releasing content unexpectedly, like the studio did with Prey, creates excitement and keeps the Predator brand fresh and intriguing.

Predator: Badlands is currently available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

What future Predator movie or series are you most excited to see on a streaming service? Share your thoughts in the comments and discuss with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-19 15:11