‘Predator: Badlands’ Sneaks Up on Denis Villeneuve’s Misunderstood Sci-Fi Masterpiece

After over 40 days of release in theaters domestically, Predator: Badlands is set to wrap up its run with an impressive box office haul. Unfortunately, the movie seems primed to tap out at under $100 million domestically and less than $200 million worldwide. Badlands has passed the $90 million milestone, and is now on the verge of overtaking one of the most surprising sci-fi flops in recent memory, director Denis Villeneuve‘s Blade Runner 2049. Released in 2017, the sci-fi legacy sequel earned rave reviews, but flopped commercially. Badlands, on the other hand, is being credited for having revived the dormant Predator franchise, with excellent reviews and a solid box office haul.

Whether it passes Blade Runner 2049‘s $92 million lifetime domestic haul is up in the air, but there’s less than $1 million separating the two movies as of right now. However, Badlands is barely a factor at the box office anymore, especially with a host of new releases for audiences to pick from. Produced on a reported budget of $105 million, the film’s global haul stands at around $185 million, which makes it the top-grossing installment of the long-running series. The franchise’s last theatrical release, Shane Black‘s The Predator, grossed more than $160 million globally. Badlands is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who breathed new life into the franchise with his critically acclaimed direct-to-digital film Prey, and then the animated offshoot Predator: Killer of Killers.

‘Predator: Badlands’ Is Set to Hit Home Video

Blade Runner 2049 was headlined by Ryan Gosling, with a returning Harrison Ford back from the landmark first film. Produced on a reported budget of $185 million, the movie made around $275 million at the worldwide box office. It’s now sitting at a “certified fresh” 88% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Visually stunning and narratively satisfying, Blade Runner 2049 deepens and expands its predecessor’s story while standing as an impressive filmmaking achievement in its own right.” Reacting to the film’s underperformance, original Blade Runner director Ridley Scott blamed the 163-minute length. Villeneuve went on to direct the beloved Dune, and its sequel, Dune: Part Two. He’s now directing the trilogy’s third installment, after which he’ll get to work rebooting the James Bond franchise. Badlands is expected to hit the PVOD market next week; stay tuned to Collider for more updates.