After Prey was a big hit on streaming, 20th Century Studios and Disney are set to return the Predator franchise to theaters in 2025. Following Prey‘s 2022 Hulu debut, the Predator franchise has been given a boost of new popularity. Multiple Predator films were announced, including a direct sequel to Prey and a futuristic wastelands-set film, Predator: Badlands, to be directed by Prey‘s Dan Trachtenberg and starring Elle Fanning.
Disney, via The Hollywood Reporter, has slated Predator: Badlands for release on November 7, 2025. This release date was initially held for Marvel Studios’ Blade, but that troubled production has been removed from Disney’s schedule and delayed indefinitely. While it’s been only three years since the release of Prey back in 2022, Badlands will mark the first theatrically released Predator movie in seven years, following 2018’s box office disappointment, The Predator.
Prey performed so well on streaming that Disney and 20th Century feel confident that a new entry will make money at the box office, and the theatrical release of Badlands shows that Disney is shifting away from streaming exclusives and back into theatrically released films. Alien: Romulus, the latest film in the Alien franchise, was initially set for a Hulu release like Prey, but was bumped up to a theatrical release. That decision paid off as Alien: Romulus grossed $105 million domestically and $350 million worldwide, and is the second-highest-grossing film in the franchise, not adjusted for inflation.
Predator Returns to the Big Screen
Unlike franchises that tend to stick with certain seasons for their release window, Predator has always been more flexible, with previous films released during the summer and holiday seasons. Predator: Badlands is the second Predator film to open in theaters in November, following Predator 2, released on November 21, 1990.
While the Predator franchise is popular, it has never been the blockbuster franchise that Terminator or Alien was, so that was likely a factor in why Disney initially deemed Prey a streaming release. With the positive word of mouth Prey received, many speculated about the money it could have made had it gone to theaters, and some are still hoping it will get a theatrical re-release.
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Currently, Predator: Badlands will open the same day as Yorgos Lantihmos’ newest film, Bugonia. It will open a week before Now You See Me 3 and two weeks before Wicked – Part Two. Disney likely feels comfortable releasing an R-rated sci-fi horror film at the beginning of November because three weeks later, over Thanksgiving weekend, they will release Zootopia 2, the sequel to the $1 billion smash hit from 2016. It shows how far the Predator franchise has come in just two years – going from a direct-to-streaming release to a new sequel hitting theaters.
Predator: Badlands
opens in theaters on November 7, 2025.