Just as I have been telling you all along, the future of the Predator franchise at Disney is in serious question due to the theatrical failure of Badlands.
Now it’s learned that director Dan Trachtenberg has moved on from Disney and has signed with Paramount.
The details include that, despite directing one of the biggest sci-fi flops of the year, Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg has landed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount Pictures.
As reported by THR, Trachtenberg and his producing partner Ben Rosenblatt will develop, direct, and produce new feature films for the studio. The deal marks a return to Paramount for Trachtenberg, who debuted with 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016.
Dan Trachtenberg, who has spent the last several years reviving & steering the PREDATOR franchise for 20th Century Studios, is planting his flag at Paramount Pictures, signing a 3-year first-look deal with the studio. https://t.co/UydSaBIDcw
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) February 5, 2026
Predator: Badlands Was Not a Box Office Hit
Worth pointing out is that contrary to THR’s BS, Predator: Badlands was not a success and definitely not the highest-grossing entry in the 38-year-old franchise.
The film ended its theatrical run with:
- Domestic: $91,083,631
- International: $93,410,824
- Worldwide: $184,494,455
The movie likely lost close to $80 million theatrically after accounting for its production budget, marketing, and distribution cuts. That’s not a hit, that’s a franchise-killing disaster.
It’s Not the Top-Grossing Predator Movie – Not Even Close
THR and many outlets tried spinning Badlands as a franchise high point. The numbers say otherwise.
Adjusted for inflation, several prior Predator and Alien vs. Predator entries outperformed it by a wide margin:
- Alien vs. Predator (2004): $177.4M → $437M today
- Predator (1987): $98.2M → $278M today (domestic alone = $169M today)
- AVP: Requiem (2007): $130.3M → $202M today
- The Predator (2018): $160.5M → $205M today
- Predators (2010): $127.2M → $187M today
Badlands sits outside the top five in adjusted franchise earnings. Its performance was underwhelming both in raw and adjusted numbers.
Future of the Franchise in Question
There’s currently no Badlands sequel or new Predator movie in the works at Disney.
And with Badlands failing to generate audience interest — domestically or internationally — Disney is likely moving the IP back to streaming.
The previously teased Aliens vs. Predator crossover now appears dead in the water, which now makes sense due to Trachtenberg bailing on Disney.
Trachtenberg also directed Predator: Prey and the Predator: Killer of Killers anime.
