Badlands Surprises With Record Opening Weekend

“Predator: Badlands” is this weekend’s apex predator at the box office, collecting a better-than-expected $40 million in its debut.

Those ticket sales were enough to cement a franchise record, overtaking 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator” ($38 million, not adjusted for inflation) as the biggest opening weekend in the long-running property. The sci-fi series ignited with 1987’s “Predator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and extended over the years with sequels, reboots and “Alien” crossover films.

“Badlands” is reviving a moribund box office. With a pileup of flops in October, such as “Tron: Ares” and “The Smashing Machine,” revenues for the month had plunged to a 28-year low. Overall domestic box office returns are roughly 3% ahead of 2024 — a gap that’s been rapidly shrinking since summer, when ticket sales were 25% ahead of last year.

Heading into the weekend, Disney and 20th Century’s “Predator: Badlands” was aiming for $25 million to $30 million to start. However, positive reviews and great word-of-mouth, including an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, helped the newest “Predator” beat initial expectations. “Badlands” also had a broader theatrical reach with its PG-13 rating. (Most of the “Predator” films have been rated R.) Meanwhile premium large formats like Imax and Dolby, which cost more than the average ticket, contributed a substantial 59% of the overall domestic tally.

“Predator: Badlands” earned another $40 million at the international box office, bringing its global total to $80 million. That’s a promising start for the $105 million-budgeted tentpole. It’s also a return to form for Disney, which has struggled with recent theatrical releases such as “Tron: Ares” and “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.” Now through the end of the year, Disney is poised to dominate at the box office with “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” both of which could earn $1 billion — and then some.

“Predator: Badlands” was easily No. 1 over several new releases — including Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson’s psychodrama “Die My Love,” Rami Malek-led historical drama “Nuremberg,” Sydney Sweeney’s boxing biopic “Christy” and Amazon MGM’s inspirational true story “Sarah’s Oil” — which catered to older audiences or arthouse crowds.

“Sarah’s Oil” enjoyed the best start among newcomers with $4.5 million from 2,410 theaters, enough for fourth place on domestic charts. The feel-good film, about a young Black girl who finds oil on her land and becomes a millionaire at age 11, landed a rare “A+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls.

More to come…