The Predator invaded movie screens last night and got off to a decent start in Thursday night previews.
The Predator grossed $2.5 million in Thursday night previews which started at 7:00PM. That’s lower than the $4.2 million previews made by Ridley Scott’s R-rated Alien: Covenant from May 2017, which went on to a $36 million opening, and just under the $3.4 million made by Kingsman: The Golden Circle which continued on to a $39 million three-day. The Predator could fall in that spectrum or come in slightly lower due the potential fanboy rush.
The previous version of Predator in 2010 entitled Predators and produced by Robert Rodriguez opened to a $10.4 million opening day, and a $24.7 million weekend. Predators stalled at $52 million stateside & $127.2 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. The best opening for a Predator movie belongs to its Alien crossover, Alien vs. Predator which debuted to $38.2 million and legged out to $80.2 million by the end of its run. One thing working against the film is its Rotten Tomatoes score which is at 35%. Poor reviews and word of mouth could kneecap it throughout the weekend but we will have to wait for Friday numbers to see.
Elsewhere, A Simple Favor grossed $900,000 in Thursday night previews at 2,400 theaters. The film expands to 3,102 theaters today and it being the best reviewed wide release of the weekend at 84%, could allow it to leg out throughout the weekend with a potential strong Friday on the horizon.
Check back tomorrow for the Friday box office estimates.