Despite a heftier-than-anticipated second weekend drop at the domestic box office, Predator: Badlands is furthering its lead as the highest-grossing installment of the science-fiction franchise. And it’ll probably become the first of the series to pass the coveted $100 million mark by the end of its run. Badlands exceeded expectations in its opening weekend, nearly matching the performance of Alien: Romulus. That film concluded its run with $350 million worldwide and breathed new life into the Alien brand, something that Badlands is expected to do for its own franchise. During the course of its 12-day run so far, the movie has overtaken a host of past science-fiction hits, and the latest to have been slain at the global box office happens to be one of the most inventive superhero movies of the last two decades.

Produced on a reported budget of $105 million, Badlands is currently sitting at a running domestic total of just under $70 million and just under $140 million worldwide. This puts it ahead of the $65 million and $125 million lifetime domestic and global hauls of Chronicle. Released in 2012, Chronicle offered a refreshing spin on the superhero template, not only through its found-footage aesthetic but also through its thematic subversion. It followed three teenage friends who discover a meteor that gives them superhuman abilities — one of them, played by Dane DeHaan, essentially turns into an allegory for the effects of bullying and lack of mental health resources. Chronicle was a critical and commercial hit, having been produced on a lean reported budget of $15 million. Released in the same year as The Avengers, it’s sitting at a “certified fresh” 85% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Chronicle transcends its found-footage gimmick with a smart script, fast-paced direction, and engaging performances from the young cast.”

‘Chronicle’ Took Michael B. Jordan’s Career to New Heights

Despite its success, Chronicle‘s legacy has been left tarnished mainly by the two primary creative forces behind it — director Josh Trank, whose reported implosion on the sets of Fantastic Four caused serious damage to his reputation, and writer Max Landis, who has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct, which he denied. However, on a happier note, the movie served as a big-screen introduction for Michael B. Jordan, who has established himself as a bona fide star. Badlands, on the other hand, has cemented director Dan Trachtenberg as a formidable force in the studio filmmaking system and is his third hit Predator movie in a row along with successful streaming releases of Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, and it’ll be interesting to see where he takes the franchise he has helped revive next. You can watch the movie in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Release Date

February 3, 2012

Runtime

84 minutes

Director

Josh Trank

Writers

Max Landis, Josh Trank

Producers

Adam Schroeder