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Published Feb 16, 2026, 9:40 AM EST
Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.
He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.
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After executing a textbook reboot strategy for the Predator franchise, director Dan Trachtenberg shocked fans by announcing a new deal with Paramount. It raised questions about his future with the franchise he helped revive over the last five years with a trio of critically acclaimed projects. Trachtenberg has history with Paramount, having worked on the studio's Cloverfield franchise around a decade ago; he directed the well-liked box office hit film 10 Cloverfield Lane. In interviews following the announcement of his return to Paramount, which recently saw a change in ownership and leadership, Trachtenberg said that he is excited to develop original projects at the studio while also dipping his toes in its IP library. However, he has expressed interest in remaining with the Predator franchise at the same time.
The long-running sci-fi series, which began in the 1980s with a classic headlined by Arnold Schwarzenegger, seemed to have hit a roadblock following the release of 2018's The Predator reboot. Directed by Shane Black, the reboot movie underperformed both critically and commercially. The studio pushed forward with another reboot after Disney took over, and Trachtenberg was hired to direct a movie that could resuscitate the franchise for a younger audience while also serving longtime fans. The movie he made, however, was controversially released directly on Disney+ in 2022. It received tremendous reviews, and was met with calls for all future installments to be released theatrically. Disney seemed to listen, and gave last year's Predator: Badlands a wide release.
Here's the Sci-Fi Reboot Ruling the Disney+ Charts
According to FlixPatrol, both movies are doing phenomenally well on the home video charts. While Predator: Badlands recently debuted at the top of the global Disney+ leaderboard following a fantastic run on the PVOD market, the movie we're talking about, Prey, found itself at the number one spot on the streamer's domestic list. Prey was headlined by Amber Midthunder and set in the 18th century. The movie holds a "Certified Fresh" 94% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "The rare action thriller that spikes adrenaline without skimping on character development, Prey is a Predator prequel done right." Between Prey and Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg also released the acclaimed animated spin-off movie Predator: Killer of Killers. You can watch all three movies at home. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date August 5, 2022
Director Dan Trachtenberg
Writers Patrick Aison
English (US) ·