The sci-fi horror juggernaut Predator: Badlands has stormed the North American box office, raking in an estimated $40 million in its opening weekend. The 20th Century Studios release flips the script on the classic franchise, featuring Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as an outcast Predator who becomes the hero, teaming up with Elle Fanning’s android character on a thrilling journey to prove himself. This ninth installment continues the saga that began nearly 40 years ago with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 1987 hit.
Trailing far behind at the box office was Paramount’s Regretting You, a Colleen Hoover adaptation that pulled in $7.1 million. Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama follows a mother (Allison Williams) and teenage daughter (McKenna Grace) as they navigate grief, life, and love after tragedy strikes. Universal’s Black Phone 2, starring Ethan Hawke, came in third with $5.3 million, while MGM’s faith-based Sarah’s Oil debuted at $4.5 million, telling the story of a young Black girl inheriting land she believes contains oil in early 20th-century Oklahoma.
Rounding out the top five was Sony’s historical drama Nuremberg, which explores the postwar Nazi trials through the lens of Hermann Goering, earning $4.1 million. With Predator: Badlands clearly in a league of its own, audiences are left wondering — could this franchise’s newest twist be the start of a thrilling new era for one of sci-fi’s most iconic monsters? Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.
