Box Office: ‘Predator: Badlands’ Starts the Hunt With $15.6 Million Opening Day

The sci-fi sequel “Predator: Badlands” is opening atop the theatrical food chain, while a bunch of adult-skewing wide releases like Jennifer Lawrence’s “Die My Love,” Sydney Sweeney’s “Christy” and Russell Crowe and Rami Malek’s “Nuremberg” are debuting further down the charts.

The “Predator” entry got to the chopper with $15.6 million across Friday and preview screenings in 3,725 locations. That puts it on the path to land well ahead of its pre-weekend projections, which had forecast an opening from $25 million to $30 million. As a comp, “Alien: Romulus” — another Disney revival of a sci-fi property that it acquired in the 20th Century Fox merger of 2019 — earned $42 million in its August 2024 debut.

Speaking of “Alien,” “Predator: Badlands” even has an outside shot at the biggest theatrical bow ever for the “Predator” franchise if it overachieves Saturday. The record is held by the 2004 crossover “Alien vs. Predator” ($38 million). But it’s worth…