It’s very surprising that there’s a new Predator movie — this one a prequel titled Prey — and instead of debuting in theaters it went straight to streaming on Disney’s Hulu service. The reason for that decision was reportedly an entirely practical one. It wasn’t that Disney didn’t have faith in the film; they have a contract with HBO Max that gives the service the right to stream anything from the old Fox (now 20th Century Studios) after it premieres in theaters. If Prey had played in multiplexes, HBO Max would have gotten it. By keeping it on Hulu, Disney had the film all to itself.
And, it seems, by not sharing Prey it has been a significant calling card for their more adult-oriented streaming service. In a press release, the company announced that Prey is “#1 premiere on Hulu to date.” That supposedly includes both film and TV series debuts. They claimed they based that stat on “hours watched in the first three days of its release.”
It’s not shocking the film is doing well; it’s based on an enduringly popular franchise, which it takes back to its roots as a survival horror thriller. In this new version, a young Comanche woman named Naru wants to prove her worth as a hunter to the rest of her tribe in 1700s North America. In doing so, she inadvertently interrupts the Predator alien’s very first journey to Earth. She winds up caught between the Predator and a group of vicious fur traders, and must rely on all her skills as a tracker and warrior in order to survive.
Prey is now available on Hulu. If you’ve seen Prey and want to go deeper into the film, you can read all about the meaning of its big MacGuffin, or watch our breakdown video below.
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