Predator Movies Ranked: All 9 Films, Best to Worst
Predator movies ranked best to worst, in my opinion: Predator (1987) is first, Prey (2022) is second and Predator: Killer of Killers is third, while Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem sits last of the nine films. The highest grossing film is Predator: Badlands (2025), with about $185 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo.
Key Takeaways
- Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, ranks first of the nine films, with Prey (2022) second and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) third.
- Predator: Badlands (2025) is the highest grossing film in the series at about $185 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
- Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers went to Hulu, so neither has a theatrical gross to compare with the other seven films.
- Predator 2 (1990) grossed about $57 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, the lowest total of the seven films with theatrical grosses.
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) ranks last, and AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) is the better of the two crossovers.
Hot Takes
- Predator 2 belongs above Predators. A Los Angeles heat wave in 1997 is a stranger hunting ground than another jungle with a checklist cast. (Callan Brooks, opinion)
- Prey (2022) is the best Predator film since 1987, and it earns that by going smaller, not bigger. (Callan Brooks, opinion)
- Predator: Badlands is a bold change of angle, but a hunt that leans on adventure over fear belongs sixth, not higher. (Callan Brooks, opinion)
- AVP: Alien vs. Predator is the only crossover worth rewatching, because it builds its pyramid like a set piece instead of a mess. (Callan Brooks, opinion)
Opinion, by Callan Brooks.
- 1
Predator
Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, is still the cleanest version of the idea: an elite team in a Central American jungle, skinned bodies hanging in the trees, and a hunter that sees heat instead of faces. The thermal view and the slow build do the scaring long before the creature is fully seen. It cost $15 million and grossed about $98 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. In my opinion nothing since has beaten it.
- 2
Prey
Prey (2022), directed by Dan Trachtenberg, sends the Yautja to the Great Plains in 1719, where Naru (Amber Midthunder), a Comanche healer, has to outthink it. It was filmed in Alberta, according to Narcity, and shot with natural light and torchlight, according to Den of Geek, and it carries a full Comanche language dub. It streamed on Hulu, so there is no box office to compare, but it is the best argument that the series works when it goes smaller.
- 3
Predator: Killer of Killers
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) is an 85 minute animated anthology that opens with the Viking warrior Ursa in 841 and moves through three eras. The short running time keeps each hunt lean, and the Yautja stays dangerous across all three stories. I rank it below Prey (2022) because the anthology format gives its characters less room to grow.
- 4
Predator 2
Predator 2 (1990), directed by Stephen Hopkins, moves the hunt to a Los Angeles heat wave in 1997, with Danny Glover as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan and Gary Busey as federal agent Peter Keyes. The city and the gang war give the creature a different kind of hunting ground. It grossed about $57 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, the lowest total of the seven theatrical films with grosses, but in my opinion it has aged better than that number suggests.
- 5
Predators
Predators (2010), directed by Nimród Antal, drops Royce (Adrien Brody) and seven other killers onto an alien planet, which is a smart ensemble premise with fun casting in Danny Trejo and Laurence Fishburne. It falls short for me because the characters are types and the hunters arrive in a list rather than a build. It cost $40 million and grossed about $127 million worldwide.
- 6
Predator: Badlands
Predator: Badlands (2025), directed by Dan Trachtenberg, makes a young Yautja named Dek the lead and sends him to the planet Genna with a damaged synthetic, Thia (Elle Fanning). It is a bold change of angle, with a $40 million domestic opening and about $185 million worldwide on a $105 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. I rank it sixth because the PG-13 adventure trades fear for spectacle, although I expect it to climb for some readers.
- 7
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, sends a team to a pyramid beneath Bouvet Island, with Sanaa Lathan as Alexa Woods and Lance Henriksen as Charles Bishop Weyland. The sets were built in Prague and the effects were mostly physical, according to Screen Daily, and that still shows. The people are thin, but the premise delivers its crossover, and it grossed about $177 million worldwide on a $60 million budget.
- 8
The Predator
The Predator (2018), directed by Shane Black (who also played Hawkins in 1987), opens with Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) seeing a ship crash and mailing alien armor home to his son Rory. The film has plenty of ideas, but the tone swings between jokes and gore and it never settles. It cost $88 million and grossed about $161 million worldwide, and the Associated Press reported a scene cut hours before its Toronto premiere.
- 9
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by Colin and Greg Strause, sets the clash in Gunnison, Colorado, and was the brothers' feature debut after their visual effects work at Hydraulx. It earned an R rating and about $130 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. I rank it last because the townspeople are many and thinly drawn, and the veteran Predator sent to clean up has little to do but follow the mess.
Predator Movies Ranked Including Badlands: How I Judged Them
Predator movies ranked best to worst, in my opinion, puts Predator (1987) first and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem last, with Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers close behind the original. I judged each of the nine films on three things: how frightening the creature is, how well the hunt is built, and whether the film gives the Yautja rules that the heroes can bend or break. Every verdict is my opinion, and the figures quoted come from Box Office Mojo unless noted.
Which films are in the list? The main films are Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, Predator 2 (1990), directed by Stephen Hopkins, Predators (2010), directed by Nimród Antal, The Predator (2018), directed by Shane Black, and Predator: Badlands (2025), directed by Dan Trachtenberg. Prey (2022) and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), both from Trachtenberg, are spinoffs. The two crossovers, AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by Colin and Greg Strause, are spinoffs as well, and the wider alien vs predator pages cover them in depth.
Why does the top of the list look the way it does? Predator (1987) stays first because McTiernan's jungle is a closed box: an elite team, a hunter that watches before it kills, and a creature that reads heat instead of faces. Prey (2022) comes second because it strips that box down further, to a young Comanche healer in 1719 and a Yautja that has to be outthought rather than outgunned. Killer of Killers is third because three short hunts across different eras keep the creature dangerous without room for a slow patch. The middle is where I part ways with plenty of fans, since I put Predator 2 above Predators.
Does box office decide the order? It does not, and the numbers show why. Predator: Badlands is the highest grossing film in the series at about $185 million worldwide, with AVP: Alien vs. Predator second at about $177 million. Prey (2022) and Killer of Killers streamed on Hulu, so neither has a theatrical gross to set beside them, and Predator (1987) took about $98 million on a $15 million budget. A ranking by takings would really be a ranking by budget, era and release format, and none of those tell you how well a hunt works. The full table sits on the predator box office page.
Is Predator 2 a hit or a flop? The film grossed about $57 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, which is the lowest total of the seven films with theatrical grosses. That is a soft result next to the original, though in my opinion the film holds up better than its takings.
At the bottom sit the films with the most going on and the least fear. The Predator has plenty of ideas, but its tone swings between jokes and gore, and a scene was cut hours before its Toronto premiere, according to the Associated Press. Requiem has a large cast of townspeople who are drawn thinly, and the veteran Predator who arrives to clean up has little to do but follow the mess.
If you are new to the series, start with Predator (1987), then Prey (2022), and read the predator movies in order guide to choose between release order and story order. The series also continues, and the new predator movie page tracks what follows Badlands, which at the moment has no announced title or date.
FAQs
Which is the highest grossing Predator movie?
Predator: Badlands (2025) is the highest grossing Predator movie, with about $185 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) is second at about $177 million, and The Predator (2018) is third at about $161 million. Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers streamed on Hulu, so neither has a theatrical gross.
Is Predator 2 hit or flop?
Predator 2 (1990) grossed about $57 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. That is the lowest total of the seven films with theatrical grosses and well below the $98 million of Predator (1987). In my opinion it ranks fourth of nine on quality, a better placing than its takings suggest.
In what order should I watch Predator?
In release order, watch Predator (1987), Predator 2, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Predators, The Predator, Prey (2022), Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. In story order, the sequence is Predator: Killer of Killers, Prey (2022), Predator (1987), Predator 2, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Predators, The Predator and Predator: Badlands.
What is the best Predator movie?
In my opinion the best Predator movie is Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, because its jungle hunt is the template the rest of the series follows. Prey (2022) is a close second and the best place to start if you want a modern film.
Where do Predator: Badlands and the Alien crossovers rank?
In my ranking Predator: Badlands is sixth, AVP: Alien vs. Predator is seventh and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is ninth, with The Predator eighth between them. Badlands loses ground because its adventure tone carries less fear than the best films in the series.