After several big-budget attempts at rebooting the ‘Predator’ films, ‘Predator 5’ will debut on Hulu instead of in theaters, showing the franchise has turned into a failure. ‘Predator 5’, which is titled ‘Prey’, is reportedly set in the time of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. The film follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a female warrior forced to do her best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression by protecting her tribe against an alien predator. Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) directed the film, and Patrick Aison (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan) wrote the script.
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Attempts at continuing the ‘Predator’ franchise always come up short. The original film, 1987's ‘Predator’, was an unambiguous hit, earning more than $98 million at the box office on a budget under $20 million. However, sequels haven't been so lucky. Predator 2, a 1990 follow-up that's sans Schwarzenegger, was a box office disappointment, earning under $60 million. And additional installments also haven't gained much traction. Predators, a 2010 reboot, earned more than $127 million, but the ‘Predator’ follow-up didn't inspire a direct sequel. Another franchise installment came eight years later in director Shane ‘Black's The Predator’; however, behind-the-scenes drama, reshoots, and poor CGI plagued the production. In the end, ‘The Predator’ was significantly changed from the director's version and became a critical and box office disappointment.
With ‘Predator 5’ on its way to ‘Hulu’, it seems the franchise is finally accepting that it's a failure. At 2021's Disney+ Day, the studio announced that the upcoming ‘Predator 5’ film, previously known as Skulls, will be released in 2022 and stream on ‘Hulu’. Considering the previous installments in the franchise have all premiered in theaters, the announcement is surprising. While streaming could prove to be a big break for many films and TV shows, the established franchise getting relegated to ‘Hulu’ is undoubtedly a sign of disaster.
Disney has been bullish on theatrical releases, which signals that it doesn't have confidence in ‘Predator 5’. Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Disney announced in September that the rest of its 2021 releases would premiere exclusively in theaters. -Screen Rant
