Despite the Predator franchise currently being on hold following the disappointment of 2018's The Predator, the series could very well still continue. The film had been positioned as a long-awaited relaunch for the series, but underperformed significantly upon its release last fall. Coupled with the Fox-Disney merger, the Predator franchise has seemingly be put on ice again, at least for the foreseeable future.
Of course, extended gaps between movies are the norm for this franchise, as seen in the fourteen-year dry spell between 1990's Predator 2 and 2004's Alien vs Predator. The Predator itself also arrived eight years after 2010's Predators, demonstrating just how frequently the series has gone quiet over the years, with the Alien vs Predator crossovers being the only thing to noticeably break them up.
The Predator franchise has certainly seen its share of ups and downs, and with Disney being the new owners of the Fox series, the studio's family friendly image does admittedly raise questions about the future of the franchise. However, with the Predator being one of the most beloved movie monsters of all-time, and with plenty of new territory for the franchise to explore in the future, it's unlikely that the Predator series is finished for good.
The Predator Was A Box Office Failure
Owing to The Predator's extensive reshoots, the $88 million budget of the movie made it the most expensive film in the series. This would prove to be the downfall of The Predator, with the film seeing a lower opening weekend than Predators, and a final worldwide gross of $160 million, well below what it needed to break even. The Predator was also subject to controversy due to a scene involving Olivia Munn's character and a registered sex offender. The scene was removed from the movie, but the controversy would hover over the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its subsequent wide release.
The Predator 2 Could Still Happen
After the Fox-Disney merger, Disney began slashing a large number of Fox's in-development films, with the Predator franchise now seemingly certain to be on an extended hiatus. However, that perception can be called into question in light of Ridley Scott signing on for another Alien film. With that franchise suffering its own disappointment with 2017's Alien: Covenant, a new movie in the Alien franchise being in the works is encouraging news for Predator fans. While it offers no direct confirmation of the series continuing, the Alien series seeing its own continuation points to the same outcome for the Predator franchise sooner or later.
What The Predator 2's Story Could Be
With The Predator not likely to see a direct continuation, the series would do well to continue Predators exploration into Predator culture and the concept of warring Predator tribes. The next Predator could dive further into this, with factions of Predators battling one another with humans caught in the middle. That concept could also take place on Earth, on the Predator's "game preserve", or both, while an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger (which didn't pan out for The Predator) is a no-brainer.
With Predator recognized as one of the quintessential 80's action movies, the Predator series is very unlikely to be down for the count. To be sure, the failure of The Predator and the series' new ownership by Disney has probably put the brakes on the franchise, but still only temporarily. It may take a while, but the Predator franchise is bound to eventually return to cinema screens once again.