Disney’s 2 Upcoming Predator Movies Are The Key To Set A Massive Box Office Record After 37 Years

By Padraig Cotter Published 1 minute ago

The next two Predator movies will not only continue the franchise’s winning streak, but it will finally help it pass a certain box office milestone.

Summary

• The Predator franchise could surpass the $1 billion milestone with upcoming sequels Badlands and Prey 2.
• Greenlighting two new Predator movies signals how much confidence Disney has in the franchise's future.
• The success of the franchise hinges on Badlands and Prey 2 being released in theaters.

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Disney has two new Predator movies in development, which logically should combine to help the franchise pass a certain milestone. The Predator movie franchise has always been a strange one. The first entry is considered a solid gold classic (as it should), but many of the follow-ups struggled to match its success. Each subsequent outing followed new characters, and each teased a direct sequel that never happened. Hulu exclusive Prey appears to have finally broken that trend, as the prequel received both record viewing numbers and critical acclaim; naturally, Prey 2 is in the works.

Prey 2 & Badlands Could Finally Make Predator A $1 Billion Movie Franchise

Close Director Dan Trachtenberg Release Date August 5, 2022 Distributor(s) Hulu Cast Dane DiLiegro , Michelle Thrush , Julian Black Antelope , Stormee Kipp , Amber Midthunder , Dakota Beavers Franchise(s) Predator Budget $65 million

has always been compared to the Alien franchise, though it's often found lacking in terms of critical and commercial success. To date, the Alien films have collectively grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide (via The Numbers), across the span of eight installments. On the flipside, the Predator movies have made over $741 million (via The Numbers), which includes the Alien Vs Predator duology.

Assuming the next two entries aren't released direct to streaming, the pair should easily combine to make over $250 million, meaning Badlands and Prey 2 should push the series over that elusive $1 billion mark.

Of course, breaking box office thresholds shouldn't be taken as the mark of quality for any series. Even lesser-regarded entries like Predator 2 or Predators are a lot of fun regardless of their financial tallies. That said, it would be nice to see such a long-running series breaking this record as a clear sign Predator is on the right track.

Disney Must Change Predators' Release Strategy To Break Its Box Office Milestone

Badlands and Prey 2 can't be Hulu exclusives

Many critics view Disney's decision to make Prey a Hulu exclusive as a mistake considering the response it received. Some believe it would have been a runaway success in theaters, which must surely inform the future of the franchise. Prey is easily the most well-received outing since the 1987 original, so it would be foolish for the next two sequels to go straight to Hulu too. If the Predator franchise is to pass the $1 billion threshold, then Badlands and Prey 2 need to go to theaters to make that happen.

Following the underperformance of Shane Black's The Predator, Disney seemed to view the franchise as somewhat niche, which might explain Prey's Hulu release. Now that the latter proved beyond any doubt that audiences want more from the sci-fi saga, theatrical pushes for Prey 2 and Badlands make perfect sense; at the very least, one of them needs to hit the big screen. Time will tell, of course, but the future of the Predator franchise is looking quite hopeful.

Prey is currently streaming exclusively on Hulu.

Source: The Numbers, The Numbers

Created by Jim Thomas , John Thomas First Film Predator