20th Century Studios shows Elle Fanning as Thia and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, in a scene from Predator: Badlands. (20th Century Studios/Disney)
The hunt is back — and audiences are showing up. Predator: Badlands roared to the top of the box office this weekend, collecting $40 million in North America and an equal $40 million overseas, for a global opening of $80 million.
The sci-fi action thriller delivered a much-needed boost to theaters after one of the slowest box office weekends of 2025. Studio estimates on Sunday confirmed the film’s strong performance, surpassing industry projections and revitalizing an otherwise quiet fall movie season.
Record-Breaking Debut for the Predator Franchise
The latest chapter in the long-running Predator saga marks the highest-ever domestic opening for the franchise, narrowly beating the $38.3 million debut of 2004’s Alien vs. Predator.
Written and directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands comes from Walt Disney Co.’s 20th Century Studios and carries a hefty $105 million production budget — the largest in the series so far.
The film, the eighth in the franchise that began with 1987’s Predator, takes the story in a fresh direction. It follows a young, outcast predator (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who forms an unlikely alliance with an android researcher, portrayed by Elle Fanning, on a distant planet. Critics have praised the film’s bold storytelling, awarding it an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it an “A–” CinemaScore.
A Ray of Hope for a Struggling Box Office
The success of Predator: Badlands arrives at a critical time for the movie industry. Theaters have faced a discouraging fall season marked by underperforming titles and the weakest October box office in nearly three decades.
Earlier in the week, AMC Theatres reported a quarterly loss of $298.2 million, citing a sluggish summer and an even softer autumn. The film’s strong turnout this weekend offered some much-needed optimism for exhibitors hoping for a late-year rebound.
Star-Studded Releases Fall Short
While Badlands dominated, several new releases struggled to make an impact despite impressive casts.
Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, earned only $2.8 million from nearly 2,000 theaters. Despite its Cannes buzz and Mubi’s $24 million acquisition deal, the drama received a disappointing “D+” CinemaScore from audiences.
Sydney Sweeney’s Christy, in which she portrays boxing legend Christy Martin, opened to $1.3 million across 2,011 theaters. Distributed by Black Bear Pictures, the biopic has generated early awards chatter for Sweeney following its Toronto premiere.
Modest Wins for Period and Prestige Dramas
Sony Pictures Classics’ Nuremberg, featuring Rami Malek and Russell Crowe in a post–World War II courtroom drama, fared slightly better with a $4.1 million debut from 1,802 locations.
Amazon MGM’s Sarah’s Oil emerged as the strongest newcomer outside Badlands, grossing $4.5 million from 2,410 theaters. The film stars Naya Desir-Johnson as a young girl in early 1900s Oklahoma who discovers her land is rich in oil. The period drama earned an “A+” CinemaScore and has been hailed as a breakout success for the studio.
Meanwhile, Neon’s Sentimental Value, directed by Norwegian-Danish filmmaker Joachim Trier, quietly impressed in limited release. The Cannes prizewinner opened in just four theaters but earned $200,000 — a $50,000 per-screen average, the third highest of the year. The film features Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning in her second major role of the weekend.
Disney’s Winning Streak Continues
The success of Predator: Badlands marks Walt Disney Co.’s fourth consecutive year crossing $4 billion in global ticket sales. The hit also ends a string of underperforming releases for the studio, following Tron: Ares and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
With Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash still to come later this year, Disney appears well positioned to surpass the $5 billion milestone before year’s end.
Weekend Box Office Top 10
According to Comscore, the top ten films in U.S. and Canadian theaters for the weekend are:
- Predator: Badlands — $40 million
- Regretting You — $7.1 million
- Black Phone 2 — $5.3 million
- Sarah’s Oil — $4.5 million
- Nuremberg — $4.1 million
- Chainsaw Man — $3.6 million
- Bugonia — $3.5 million
- Die My Love — $2.8 million
- Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere — $2.2 million
- Tron: Ares — $1.8 million
As the fall box office finds its footing, Predator: Badlands proves that strong storytelling — and a bit of sci-fi nostalgia — can still draw audiences back to the big screen.
