Lead
20th Century Studios/Disney’s Predator: Badlands opened to an $80 million global weekend, evenly split between a $40 million domestic start and $40 million international total. The launch is the biggest worldwide debut for the Predator franchise to date, edging past the 2018 Predator’s $73.5 million start. The result also helped push The Walt Disney Studios’ 2025 cumulative box office past $4 billion, to about $4.07 billion, marking the studio’s fourth consecutive year above that mark.
Key Takeaways
- Predator: Badlands posted an $80M global opening, with $40M domestic and $40M international receipts for the weekend.
- The film’s worldwide start of $80M is the franchise’s strongest at current exchange rates, surpassing 2018’s $73.5M global debut.
- Overseas, Badlands recorded the series’ second-largest opening in raw international terms, trailing a Predator entry that had a $48.9M offshore start; excluding China, Badlands is the franchise’s top non-U.S. opening.
- China’s box office tracker Maoyan moved its projection up through the weekend; the report cites a final local estimate landing near $14M.
- Badlands opened No. 1 in multiple markets (UK, Spain, Australia, China, Korea, Mexico) and as the top non-local release in France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Brazil.
- The film had its best-ever Predator launch in the UK, Netherlands, Korea, Taiwan, India and Brazil, according to distributor tallies.
- IMAX contributed a $10.8M global debut to the film’s weekend total.
- The release helped lift The Walt Disney Studios’ 2025 worldwide cumulative to roughly $4.07B, the fourth straight year above $4B.
Background
The Predator franchise began nearly four decades ago and has been an intermittent box-office property with peaks tied to franchise reboots and star-driven entries. Prior high-water marks included the 2018 Predator, which opened globally to about $73.5 million; that figure has been the benchmark for recent entries. Disney’s acquisition of Fox completed the first theatrical Predator release under The Walt Disney Studios umbrella, making Badlands a notable test of the merged studio’s handling of legacy genre IP.
The international marketplace for tentpoles remains complex in 2025: lingering post-pandemic audience habits, stronger competition from regional titles, and varying release windows create an uneven landscape. Studios have leaned more heavily on global rollouts and premium formats like IMAX to maximize early grosses. Industry observers have been watching whether franchise renewals—particularly R-rated or mid-budget genre films—can re-ignite cross-border theatrical momentum.
Main Event
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands opened widely across core territories and secured the franchise’s best worldwide weekend at reported current exchange rates. The studio’s weekend tally shows an even domestic/international split, with $40M in North America matched by $40M internationally, an outcome that underscores the title’s global appeal. Motion across key markets was strong: the film launched at No. 1 in the UK, Spain, Australia, China, Korea and Mexico, and led as the No. 1 non-local title in France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Brazil.
In specific territories Badlands set franchise records for opening in the UK, Netherlands, Korea, Taiwan, India and Brazil, per distributor reports. Korean box office momentum was notable: the film held the No. 1 spot from Wednesday through Sunday, suggesting sustained daily demand rather than a frontloaded weekend spike. China’s intake was a focal point all weekend; the local box-office tracker Maoyan raised its projection during the run, with reporting indicating an eventual local estimate near $14M.
IMAX and premium-format sales also bolstered the debut, with an IMAX global contribution of $10.8M. Studio materials and market tallies note that strong word of mouth and generally favorable critical notices helped the film overperform relative to pre-weekend projections in multiple territories. The result arrived in a market environment where other tentpoles have struggled to find consistent cross-border traction, making Badlands’ balanced split and widespread No. 1 placings particularly noteworthy.
Analysis & Implications
From a studio economics perspective, a franchise film that can open evenly across domestic and international markets reduces risk and improves downstream revenue prospects from ancillary windows. An $80M global start for a mid-tier franchise entry suggests distributors can still rely on recognizable IP to drive theatrical attendance in 2025, provided the marketing, release pattern and critical reception align. For Disney, the weekend not only added a profitable title to its slate but also reinforced the larger corporate narrative of consistent box-office leadership—crossing $4.07B for the year.
Regionally, Badlands’ performance in China and Korea shows that genre product can still break through when promoted effectively and timed well. China’s $14M projection (per Maoyan) is important both in absolute terms and as a relative benchmark: it helped push Badlands into the franchise’s top international openings, and the market’s size makes any No. 1 studio start notable in 2025. However, the imminent release of Demon Slayer in China, which had roughly $13M in pre-sales ahead of its local debut, introduces a near-term competitive variable that could slow Badlands’ post-opening legs there.
For the broader industry, the title’s success is a mild counterpoint to a year in which many big-budget films underperformed overseas. If Badlands maintains steady holds, it could encourage studios to greenlight more mid-budget, effects-driven franchise sequels and to prioritize international rollouts rather than compressed domestic-only windows. Conversely, if the film collapses quickly after opening—especially in China—studios may conclude the result was a high-performing outlier rather than a durable trend.
Comparison & Data
| Title | Weekend Global | Domestic | International | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predator: Badlands | $80.0M | $40.0M | $40.0M | IMAX $10.8M |
| Predator (2018) | $73.5M | – | – | Previous franchise worldwide benchmark |
| Predator (top offshore entry) | – | – | $48.9M | Largest raw overseas opening in series (name/year per archive) |
The table above aggregates figures cited in distributor and tracker reports: Badlands’ $80M global and $40M international/domesic split; the 2018 Predator’s $73.5M global opening; and a historical offshore peak of $48.9M for a prior Predator release. These snapshots help place Badlands in franchise context while noting that currency conversions and reporting windows can affect direct comparisons.
Reactions & Quotes
Industry observers framed the result as a welcome signal for studio confidence in genre tentpoles. Before the quote below, analysts noted that balanced global openings are increasingly prized because they mitigate the risk of single-market dependence.
“Strong word of mouth and wide-market availability produced a rare even split between domestic and international for a franchise entry this weekend.”
Industry analyst (summary)
After that remark, distribution executives pointed to the film’s marketing cadence and the studio’s international bookings as key operational drivers for the result. Many emphasized that consistent local timing and tailored promotion—especially around IMAX and premium formats—helped lifts in smaller markets.
Studio-side commentary highlighted the strategic value of franchise management under the Disney umbrella. Preceding the second quote, communications from the studio reiterated the corporate milestone of crossing $4.07B worldwide for 2025.
“Hitting the $4.07B mark underscores our broad global slate and the continued appetite for theatrical experiences.”
Studio distribution statement (summary)
Following the studio statement, trade commentators noted the practical implications: hitting $4B again is meaningful for investor perception and for the negotiation of future distribution deals and exhibition terms. They also stressed that sustainable franchise performance will depend on overseas holds and competition in key windows such as China.
Unconfirmed
- The sustainability of Badlands’ box-office legs beyond the opening weekend is not confirmed and will depend on mid-week holds and competition in China.
- The final China weekend cume versus the Maoyan projection (reported near $14M) will not be clear until official box-office tallies finalize after weekday reporting.
- How Demon Slayer’s China launch (with ~ $13M pre-sales) will affect Badlands’ ongoing Chinese run remains uncertain.
Bottom Line
Predator: Badlands delivered a strong, broadly based launch that stands as the franchise’s best global opening at current rates and secured a noteworthy international footprint across top and secondary markets. The even domestic/international split, plus a solid IMAX contribution, make the weekend a clear operational win for The Walt Disney Studios and the film’s distributors.
That said, longer-term value will hinge on how well the film holds in the second weekend and beyond, particularly in China where new competition arrives quickly. For now, the performance offers studios a data point that mid-tier franchise entries—when well-positioned—can still yield sizable global openings in today’s fragmented market.