Predator: Badlands Shatters Box Office Records: First Theatrical Release in 7 Years!

Predator: Badlands is on track to surpass all previous records in its franchise during its debut weekend. Released as the first film in the sci-fi action series since 2018’s The Predator, this 2025 installment follows two direct-to-streaming releases: the 2022 prequel Prey and the 2025 animated movie Killer of Killers, both of which were directed or co-directed by Dan Trachtenberg who also directed Badlands.

According to Variety, as of Sunday morning, Predator: Badlands is forecasted to rake in a 3-day total of $40 million at the domestic box office over its opening weekend. This figure would not only surpass the $24.8 million debut of 2010’s Predators but also the franchise’s best-ever opening of $38.3 million set by 2004’s AVP: Alien vs. Predator.

Below, find a table showcasing the box office results of previous Predator films and Alien crossover movies:

The potential for Badlands to surpass Alien vs. Predator‘s $172.5 million total gross is high, given its initial A- CinemaScore—the highest the franchise has seen, bettering the original Predator‘s B+. With strong reviews earning it an 85% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, third only to Killer of Killers (95%) and Prey (94%), the film’s success could help it recover its $105 million budget, needing around $262.5 million to break even in theaters.

Top 5 Domestic Box Office This Weekend

Predator: Badlands is poised to dominate as the top earner at the box office this weekend, significantly outperforming the entire top 5 gross from the previous low-earning Halloween weekend, including titles such as Black Phone 2, Regretting You, Chainsaw Man, KPop Demon Hunters, and Bugonia.

Here is the complete domestic Top 5 chart for the weekend:

The Top 5 experienced considerable changes, with new entries Sarah’s Oil (an inspirational historical drama starring Zachary Levi) and Nuremberg (a World War II movie starring Rami Malek) grabbing spots 4 and 5, respectively, as Predator: Badlands claimed the top position. Meanwhile, the Colleen Hoover romantic film Regretting You held strong at No. 2 with a slight 8% drop, indicating it could still be a sleeper hit despite a modest start.

The Blumhouse horror sequel Black Phone 2, featuring Mason Thames, slipped from No. 1 to No. 3 with a 36% decrease, a relatively modest drop for a horror film just after Halloween. Although Regretting You and Black Phone 2 are close competitors, Regretting You has maintained a slight edge.

With the introduction of three new titles to the domestic top 5, only two films were displaced. Notably, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, which had a special one-weekend re-release, dropped out. Chainsaw Man is anticipated to fall to No. 6 with a 42% drop, while Yorgos Lanthimos’ thriller Bugonia, starring Emma Stone, is expected to drop to No. 7 with a 30% decrease.

The debut of Predator: Badlands and other mid-level openings have helped revitalize the box office following a tepid October, which saw only a few hits like Chainsaw Man, Black Phone 2, and the single-weekend event Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl. With major upcoming releases like Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good later this month, November is poised for a potential box office rebound.