Prey's Streaming Release Was A Mistake — New Predator Movie Deserves A Shot At The Box Office
"Prey" was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2022. The film revived the "Predator" franchise after several years in a much-needed timeout following the disappointment that was Shane Black's "The Predator." In fairness, it seems Black signed up to make a different movie than the one we got, but that's neither here nor there. What's important is that director Dan Trachtenberg delivered the goods with his battle between the alien hunter and some unsuspecting Comanche in the 1700s. Now, at long last, Disney has confirmed that a sequel is coming. And, if there is justice in the world, it will be coming to a theater near you.
Very little has been revealed, although Trachtenberg is once again co-writing and directing a movie in the franchise called "Badlands." It will not be a direct sequel to "Prey" and, instead, will be taking us into the future to follow a different female protagonist who presumably clashes with a member (or members) of the deadly alien species we first met in 1987. While it has yet to be firmed up one way or another, the hope is that Disney will make this movie stand out from its predecessor in another very important way. Namely, "Badlands" should be given a theatrical release instead of being dumped directly to streaming.
The reasons for "Prey" going directly to Hulu are numerous. Trachtenberg, for his part, said that Disney was using the movie as a way to prove that Hulu "is also a place to have giant cinematic experiences." The other thing to note is that Disney's 20th Century Studios had a deal in place with Warner Bros. that meant if the movie had gone to theaters, it would have eventually been given a streaming release on Max. Odds are the studio powers that be didn't want to share a big franchise film with a direct competitor. So, it went straight to Hulu. One imagines that's a decision Disney would rethink, provided the opportunity to do so.
Prey becomes a widely acclaimed streaming smash hit
The original "Predator" is viewed as one of cinema's most treasured action classics. Nothing can truly take anything away from that legacy but to illustrate just how much people loved "Prey," it now ranks as the best-reviewed movie in the history of the franchise by a considerable margin. We're talking near-universal praise, which is extremely rare air for a genre film of any kind, let alone the fifth entry in a decades-old series. It also set records for streaming viewership at the time of its release thanks in no small part to the overwhelmingly positive buzz.
To cap it all off, the movie was nominated for six Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special. Heck, Disney even caved and gave the movie an impressive Blu-ray release after physical media collectors of the internet came together to beg for it to happen. Streaming success is often difficult to quantify but, by every metric we have to measure, this movie was a huge success. So, it's hard to argue that the studio was disappointed with the results — we are getting a sequel after all. That said, it's also not hard to imagine the bean counters looking over what this movie could have made at the box office in light of its success.
Predicting what "Prey" could have grossed in theaters is a fool's errand but as someone who writes about such things regularly, I can say with confidence that this had the makings of a hit. What's more, we've learned time and time again that movies released in theaters, even if they aren't outright hits, do better on streaming. Period. Disney learned this with "Encanto," for example. That being the case, whatever this movie made at the box office would have helped to offset costs and, in all likelihood, it would have then become a big hit on streaming anyhow. The only downside would have been helping out Max, a streaming competitor.
Badlands shouldn't suffer the same fate as Prey
At this point, it hardly matters who stars in "Badlands" or what the movie is ultimately about. Trachtenberg, who also directed "10 Cloverfield Lane," has proved his worth with this franchise in a big way. He delivered one of the best-reviewed movies of 2022 and helped revive a brand that was running the risk of becoming stale. It now has limitless potential and Disney is said to be developing multiple projects within this universe, with Trachtenberg leading the way. At the very least, it would seem fitting to give the filmmaker the big screen treatment as a means of showing appreciation. But let's be honest, a theatrical release is just better business at this point.
The streaming wars have evolved so much since "Prey" was released. Everyone is cracking down on password sharing, studios are reckoning with the realization that streaming alone can't deliver the profits they once enjoyed from physical media, and movie theaters are going to remain a very important part of the equation. As a result, it's on studios to deliver a steady stream of products that can give the general moviegoing public a good enough reason to leave the house. "Prey" would have been a good enough reason, and that's not easy to say in the age of affordable, large 4K televisions.
But that movie got the hooks back in audiences. This new "Predator" movie has a major advantage in that people are already on board. If we're to assume that Trachtenberg once again hits it out of the park, this is probably as close to a guaranteed hit as the business is willing to afford. It's better for everyone involved. Period. Disney needs to do the right thing here both for the fans and for its bottom line.
"Badlands" does not currently have a release date.