4 Years and 2 Sequels Later, Hulu's Sci-Fi Franchise Saving Hit Returns to Streaming Charts

3 days ago 7

Troy Mundle looks terrified at something off screen in 'Prey'

Published Feb 24, 2026, 7:16 PM EST

Britta DeVore is a Senior Author for Collider who has been known to dabble with Reality News as well.

Have you seen stories about 'Chucky,' 'Scream,' 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'The Boys,' 'Vanderpump Rules,' or any of 'The Real Housewives' franchises? That's probably a Britta DeVore-curated piece of art, and it sounds like you have great taste.

When she isn't sitting behind her laptop bringing readers her hot takes on upcoming projects or keeping the dream alive in the Senior News team, Britta can usually be found outside hiking or inside behind her drum set. She currently plays in two bands, Kid Midnight and Watergate, both based in Brooklyn. An obsessive traveler, Britta loves long road trips to the South West and has a soft spot in her heart for canyons, rivers, and forests.

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The sci-fi genre has grown by leaps, bounds, and subgenres over the last century. It often feels as though directors and screenwriters are constantly coming up with new universes, situations, characters, weapons, and gadgets that make the ones that came before more obsolete, with a plethora of fresh ideas always on the ready. In 1987, one of these universes was dreamt up when filmmaker Joel McTiernan paired with writing siblings Jim and John Thomas for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led Predator. The idea of humans clashing with aliens wasn’t a new one, but the way the creative team filled out the story, molded their characters, and crafted their antagonist certainly was.

Since then, audiences have been treated to a multitude of stories within the Predator universe and have even watched the universe’s most talented hunter take on a foe worthy of its time in two Alien vs. Predator movies. Most recently, frequent franchise helmer Dan Trachtenberg took fans on a brand-new kind of journey that put the Predator (also known as Yautja) in the hot seat as an incredibly vulnerable target on a wildly dangerous planet in Predator: Badlands. After knocking it out of the park for Disney at the global box office, the Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi-fronted film has been back in headlines over the last week thanks to its monstrous takeover of Hulu.

‘Predator: Badlands’ Predecessor Is Staking Its Streaming Claim

Breaking the record previously held by its predecessor, Prey, Predator: Badlands now holds the bragging rights of being the streamer’s number one film premiere after earning nearly 9 million views during its first five days on the platform. But now, Prey is making a comeback to assert its claim, as FlixPatrol shows the title is climbing Hulu’s global Top 10. Right now, Prey is holding down the third spot on the sought-after list, clocking in just behind Carlos Saldanha’s 2011 animated flick, Rio, and Predator: Badlands. With all eyes hooked on where Trachtenberg previously took the franchise, we’d be surprised if the director’s other recent release, the adult animated and blood-filled feature, Predator: Killer of Killers, didn’t make an appearance in the upcoming days.

While Predator fans were lucky to have two movies from the franchise come out in just one year, the waiting game now starts over as we patiently hang on to hear what Trachtenberg has up his sleeves next. For now, head over to Hulu to stream both Prey and Predator: Badlands as well as Predator: Killer of Killers.