After two straight-to-streaming installments — Prey and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers — director Dan Trachtenberg finally drags the Predator franchise back to the big screen with Predator: Badlands, and the hunt has never been deadlier… or more successful.

Opening this weekend at #1 in the domestic box office, Badlands tore through expectations with $40 million in the U.S. and $80 million worldwide, marking the largest opening weekend in Predator history — even topping 2004’s Alien vs. Predator.

But victory doesn’t come cheap. With a $105 million production budget, Badlands is also the priciest entry in the series. Still, the film’s strong debut and glowing audience reactions hint that the Yautja may be stalking box office glory for weeks to come.

In a surprising twist, Badlands is the first PG-13-rated Predator film, allowing a wider audience to witness Trachtenberg’s creature-fueled carnage. It also scored the highest CinemaScore in franchise history (A-), while Rotten Tomatoes sits at a deadly 85% with critics and 95% with audiences.

Starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Badlands transports the saga to a remote alien world, where an outcast Predator forms an uneasy alliance with Thia (Fanning) to confront the ultimate adversary.

Trachtenberg — returning after Prey and 10 Cloverfield Lane — expands the Predator universe into new, uncharted territory without losing the primal tension that made the original legendary.

Catch Predator: Badlands now playing exclusively in theaters, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, 4DX, ScreenX, and more.