Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands kicked off its theatrical run with $4.8 million in previews, positioning it for a projected $33 million opening weekend. The film features Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as the franchise's first heroic Predator named Dek, who teams up with Elle Fanning's android Thia on a deadly planet. Positive audience scores and strong reviews highlight its potential as a standout entry in the 38-year-old series.
Plot and Cast
Predator: Badlands follows Dek, a young Yautja outcasted by his clan as the runt, who journeys to the lethal planet Genna to hunt the unkillable Kalisk predator. There, he allies with Thia, a stranded android played by Elle Fanning, whom Dek carries on his back throughout much of the film. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi delivers the performance in a full Yautja suit using performance capture, speaking entirely in the invented alien language.
Production Insights
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who previously helmed the acclaimed 2022 prequel Prey, the movie was shot in New Zealand locations like Hūnua Falls and Bethells Beach. Schuster-Koloamatangi, a 24-year-old New Zealand actor of Tongan and Samoan descent, described an unconventional audition involving an obstacle course and creating an alien language from Samoan, Tongan, and gibberish. He trained extensively with a linguist to master the Yautja dialect, including challenging throat clicks. Trachtenberg praised the actor's ferocity: “The way Dimitrius moved was so cool, so ferocious — so much cooler than the stuntmen were doing it.”
The film subtly connects to the Alien franchise through Thia's Weyland-Yutani android origins. It carries a PG-13 rating, with violence featuring non-red blood to broaden appeal.
Box Office and Reception
The $105 million production grossed $4.8 million in Wednesday and Thursday previews across 3,725 theaters. Early estimates point to a $14 million Friday, trailing only 2004's Alien vs. Predator in franchise benchmarks. It boasts a 96% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, surpassing the original 1987 film's 87%, and strong critical acclaim akin to Prey at 94%. This marks the second-best projected opening for the series, behind Alien vs. Predator's $38.2 million.
Schuster-Koloamatangi reflected on the premiere: “The best thing that has come out of this year was I was able to bring my family to the premiere in L.A., and they got to see me work.”