The latest instalment in the sci-fi franchise, Predator: Badlands, has stormed to the top of the UK and global box office charts with an impressive opening weekend that has injected much-needed optimism into the struggling cinema industry.
A Blockbuster Debut Against All Odds
According to studio estimates released on Monday 10 November 2025, the science fiction action film secured a remarkable $40 million (£30 million) debut in North American theatres alone. This performance becomes even more significant considering it follows what industry analysts had described as the worst box office weekend of 2025.
The film's strong opening exceeded expectations and provided a welcome boost during a challenging autumn period for cinemas. Predator: Badlands managed to outperform the 2004 release Alien vs. Predator, which launched with $38.3 million, even before adjusting for inflation.
Global Success and Critical Acclaim
The film's success wasn't limited to domestic markets. Predator: Badlands matched its North American performance with an additional $40 million from international markets, bringing its worldwide opening weekend total to $80 million.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, this eighth instalment in the Predator franchise carries the distinction of being the most expensive in the series with a production budget of $105 million (£79 million). The film introduces a fresh narrative twist, focusing on a young outcast predator portrayed by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi who encounters an android researcher played by Elle Fanning on a remote planet.
Critics and audiences have responded enthusiastically to this new direction. The film has earned an 85% "fresh" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and received an A- CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences.
Industry Impact and Wider Box Office Landscape
The timing of this success couldn't be more crucial for the film exhibition industry. Earlier in the week, AMC Theatres, the world's largest cinema chain, reported substantial quarterly losses of $298.2 million (£226 million), partly attributed to a disappointing summer season.
The autumn period has proven even more challenging, with last month recording the lowest-grossing October in nearly three decades. Against this bleak backdrop, the strong performance of Predator: Badlands offers a glimmer of hope for theatre operators.
While the sci-fi blockbuster thrived, other new releases struggled to find audiences despite featuring major Hollywood stars:
- Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, opened with just $2.8 million from 1,983 theatres and received a disappointing "D+" CinemaScore
- Christy, featuring Sydney Sweeney as professional boxer Christy Martin, debuted with only $1.3 million across 2,011 locations
Some smaller releases found modest success. Sarah's Oil, starring Naya Desir-Johnson, earned $4.5 million and achieved a rare "A+" CinemaScore, while the post-World War II drama Nuremberg took in $4.1 million.
The successful debut of Predator: Badlands has secured The Walt Disney Company's fourth consecutive year of $4 billion in worldwide ticket sales. It also broke a short streak of disappointments for the studio, including Tron: Ares and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
With anticipated releases such as Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash still to come, Disney appears well-positioned to potentially surpass the $5 billion mark in global ticket sales for the year.
