“Predator: Badlands” is this weekend’s apex predator at the box office, raking in a better-than-expected $40 million in its domestic debut.
Those ticket sales were enough to solidify a franchise record, surpassing 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator” ($38 million, not adjusted for inflation) as the biggest opening weekend at the long-running property. The sci-fi series began with 1987’s “Predator” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has expanded over the years with sequels, reboots and “Alien” crossover films.
“Badlands” breathes new life into a moribund box office. With a pile-up of flops in October, like “Tron: Ares” and “The Smashing Machine,” revenues for the month plunged to their lowest level in 28 years. November releases, including “The Running Man,” “Now You See Me 3,” “Wicked: For Good,” and “Zootopia 2,” will aim to maintain that momentum. Indeed, overall domestic box office revenues are up about 3% from 2024 – a gap that has rapidly narrowed since the summer, when ticket sales were 25% ahead of last year. Ticket sales remain about 20% lower than before the pandemic.
Heading into the weekend, Disney and 20th Century’s “Predator: Badlands” was aiming for a budget of $25 million to $30 million to start. However, positive reviews and excellent word of mouth, including an “A” rating in CinemaScore’s exit polls, helped the new “Predator” exceed initial expectations. “Badlands” also had a broader theatrical scope with its PG-13 rating. (Most “Predator” films have been rated R.) Meanwhile, large premium formats like Imax and Dolby, which cost more than the average ticket, contributed 59% of the domestic total.
“Predator: Badlands” grossed an additional $40 million at the international box office, bringing its worldwide total to $80 million. This is a promising start for this project with a budget of 105 million dollars. 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.” Through the end of the year, Disney is poised to dominate the box office with “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” both of which could gross $1 billion — and counting.
Dan Trachtenberg returned to direct “Predator: Badlands” after helming the two most recent franchise entries, 2022’s “Prey” and last June’s animated film “Predator: Killer of Killers,” both of which skipped theaters and landed straight to streaming. This standalone story tells the story of an outcast alien hunter (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) and his unlikely ally (Elle Fanning) who embark on a dangerous journey to defeat a threatening adversary. Variety Chief film critic Peter Debruge praised “Badlands” as “the most interesting and strongest film with ‘Predator’ in the title since the 1987 original.”
“Predator: Badlands” was easily No. 1 among several new releases — including the Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson psychodrama “Die My Love,” the Rami Malek-led historical drama “Nuremberg,” the Sydney Sweeney boxing biopic “Christy” and Amazon MGM’s inspiring true story “Sarah’s Oil” — that were aimed primarily at older audiences or arthouse crowds.
“Sarah’s Oil” had the best start among newcomers with $4.5 million from 2,410 theaters, enough for fourth place on the domestic charts. The feel-good film, about a young black girl who discovers oil on her land and becomes a millionaire at age 11, earned a rare “A+” rating in CinemaScore’s exit polls.
“Nuremberg” wasn’t far behind on the box office charts, debuting at No. 5 with $4.1 million from 1,802 theaters. Sony Pictures Classics is releasing the film, which follows a psychiatrist (Malek) who must determine whether Nazi Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe) is fit to stand trial at the Nuremberg Trials.
In eighth place, “Die My Love” took in $2.8 million from 1,983 theaters. It’s not a terrible opening, except that Mubi reportedly paid $24 million for the distribution rights. And “Die My Love,” directed by Lynn Ramsey, received a “D+” grade in CinemaScore exit polls — which it didn’t. great in terms of word of mouth, but it’s also not entirely unexpected for a polarizing and deeply disturbing film. Lawrence was praised for her performance as a new mother who begins to unravel as she suffers from postpartum depression.
Star power didn’t help “Christy,” starring Sweeney as boxing pioneer Christy Martin, connect with audiences. The R-rated sports drama debuted at No. 11, grossing a paltry $1.3 million from 2,011 theaters.
Second place went to “Regretting You” with $7.1 million from 3,196 locations, a slight 8% decline from the previous weekend. Paramount’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel demonstrated impressive staying power with $38.5 million domestically and $70.9 million worldwide after three weekends in theaters.
“Black Phone 2” fell to third place with $5.3 million from 2,943 sites during its third frame, down just 36% from last weekend. So far, the spooky sequel, from Universal and Blumhouse, has grossed $70 million in North America and $120 million worldwide. For comparison, the original “Black Phone” grossed $90 million domestically and $170 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.
In limited release, Neon’s family drama “Sentimental Value” grossed $200,000 at four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, or $50,000 per location. This is the third highest screen average of the year and among the top 15 in the post-pandemic period, according to Neon. Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier (“The Worst Person in the World”) directed “Sentimental Value,” which stars Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve as a father (an eccentric filmmaker) and daughter (a successful actress) who reunite after decades apart.
“We’re excited to see this enthusiasm continue to grow as we expand through November,” said Elissa Federoff, Neon’s chief distribution officer.
More to come…
