Predator: Badlands Roars to Record Success

Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands has stormed the global box office, opening to a franchise-best $40 million in the U.S. and $80 million worldwide proving that audiences still turn up in force when the movie’s good and the work behind it shines.

Filmed across Auckland and Rotorua, the 20th Century Studios and Disney production drew heavily on New Zealand’s landscapes, skilled crews, and world-class post-production facilities to bring its futuristic, brutal world to life. Rotorua’s geothermal valleys and lush ridgelines provided otherworldly exteriors, while Auckland hosted the studio builds and VFX-heavy interiors.

The film flips the classic Predator formula on its head following Dek, a young Predator outcast (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), and Thia, an android portrayed by Elle Fanning, on a perilous hunt across a hostile planet. Critics and audiences alike have embraced the fresh approach, earning the film the first A- CinemaScore and 95% audience score in franchise history.

Behind the scenes, Badlands benefited from the expertise of New Zealand’s production community from practical effects and creature fabrication to make-up, set construction, and post-production support. The production tapped into the country’s Screen Production Rebate incentives and relied on the professionalism, creativity, and grit that local crews are known for.

The film’s success is more than a box-office win,  it’s a reminder of the talent and infrastructure that make Aotearoa one of the most exciting film destinations in the world.

🎉 The Screen Guild Aotearoa congratulates all the New Zealand crew and creatives who helped make Predator: Badlands a global hit. Your skill and dedication continue to put our industry on the world stage!

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