“ Predator: Badlands ” is this weekend’s apex predator at the box office, collecting a better-than-expected $40 million in its debut.

Those ticket sales were enough to cement a franchise record, overtaking 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator” ($38 million, not adjusted for inflation) as the biggest opening weekend in the long-running property. The sci-fi series ignited with 1987’s “Predator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and extended over the years with sequels, reboots and “Alien” crossover films.

“Badlands” is reviving a moribund box office. With a pileup of flops in October, such as “Tron: Ares” and “The Smashing Machine,” revenues for the month had plunged to a 28-year low . Overall domestic box office returns are roughly 3% ahead of 2024 — a gap that’s been rapidly shrinking since sum

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