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Predator: Badlands Scores Franchise-Best $80 Million Debut

A PG-13, Yautja-led pivot earns strong marks despite fan scrutiny over canon.

Overview

  • The film opened to $80 million worldwide, including $40 million domestic, setting a new opening-weekend record for the Predator franchise.
  • Audiences awarded an A- CinemaScore and critics and moviegoers posted high Rotten Tomatoes scores, signaling strong word of mouth.
  • Director Dan Trachtenberg’s PG-13 entry leans into a buddy-adventure tone with a Yautja protagonist and a Weyland‑Yutani synthetic, broadening the series’ appeal.
  • References to Weyland‑Yutani have intensified debate over continuity, with some coverage arguing the movie falls outside the main Predator timeline.
  • A reported $105 million production budget underscores the need for steady box-office holds as online chatter labels the film “Disneyfied” or “woke,” including queer-reading jokes traced to a THR review aside.