Disney’s Franchise-Saving Sequel Is Hulu’s Most Watched American Movie After Just 2 Days

Dan Trachtenberg has proven to be more than capable of handling the Predator franchise. When Prey first arrived on Hulu back in 2022, it was met with widespread critical acclaim, and it’s still hailed as one of the best sci-fi movies of the last five years. He expanded the franchise just last year with Predator: Killer of Killers, the animated anthology tale that ties back to Prey with an interesting cameo. He previously directed episodes of the popular sci-fi TV shows, The Boys and Black Mirror, before Prey, while also directing the 2016 sci-fi movie, 10 Cloverfield Lane.

The most recent Predator movie, though, may be one of the best the franchise has to offer. Predator: Badlands, which was written by Patrick Aison and Dan Trachtenberg, who also directs, was released in theaters last year on November 7. The film stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, and it follows Dek, a young Yautja who sets out on a mission after watching his father kill his brother. His father originally had his sights set on Dek, but his brother, Zwei, sacrificed himself so Dek could have his own mission. Predator: Badlands earned scores of 86% from critics and 95% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and it grossed $184 million at the box office against a $105 million budget.

After several weeks of success on VOD platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV, Predator: Badlands began streaming on Hulu yesterday, and on Disney+ in international territories. After only one full day on the platform, Predator: Badlands is already the most popular movie around the world on both platforms. The film didn’t perform exceptionally well at the box office, but it’s finally getting its due on streaming.

What Happens in ‘Predator: Badlands’?

Predator: Badlands picks up with Dek watching his father murder his brother, and he then flies off to a distant planet to complete his journey to becoming a Yautja by claiming his prey. Along the way, he runs into the cyborg Thia and the animal Bud, who help him along his journey. While he lands on the planet as a stubborn kid unwilling to accept help, he grows into a young man who realizes that he’s a much more dangerous predator when he allows his friends to help him.

Be sure to watch Predator: Badlands on Hulu in America and on Disney+ globally, and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

Release Date

November 5, 2025

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Dan Trachtenberg

Writers

Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas

Producers

Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt

• Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

  Dek / Father