A bold new turn for the Predator franchise — love it, hate it, or argue about it with your loved one
Predator: Badlands, the franchise’s highest-grossing and most divisive entry, is finally heading to Hulu, Hulu on Disney Plus, and Disney Plus internationally starting Feb. 12.
Predator: Badlands takes a swing at expanding Yautja lore by shifting the focus away from a traditional hunt and toward an unlikely partnership. Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, the film follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator outcast from his own clan, who teams up with Thia (Elle Fanning) on a dangerous journey to find the ultimate adversary.
Mixing brutal combat, striking visuals, and an underdog hero’s arc with themes of survival and self-discovery — plus a bit of humor that didn’t land for everyone — director Dan Trachtenberg’s film earned $184.5 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing the previous record holder, 2004’s Alien vs. Predator ($177.4 million). And despite the division between OG Predator fans and the modern fandom, Predator: Badlands boasts a 95% Rotten Tomatoes Verified Hot Popcornmeter score and an 86% Certified Fresh Tomatometer critics rating.
For the Predator franchise to remain relevant after nearly 40 years, it must take bold new directions and mix up the ingredients. Although Badlands may have deviated too far from the formula for some, Trachtenberg is also responsible for two Hulu originals, Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, the former of which is one of the greatest, most inspired Predator movies of all time. There is a film out there waiting to be made that incorporates the best aspects of the last few Predator movies to set a tone both newcomers and OG fans can get behind. But in order for that to happen, sometimes a little flavor, like a buddy-cop bouillon, has to be thrown in the pot to see what sticks or ruins the stew.
Predator: Badlands will be available to stream on Hulu Feb. 12.
