Prey Just Set A Jaw-Dropping New Record On Hulu
One thing that many of us can learn from the Predator film series is to always keep our sites laser focused. Starting in 1987 with "Predator," the plot of this franchise often involves an alien hunter coming to Earth to stalk its most dangerous inhabitants, who more often than not, turn out to be humans. Although we as a species aren't particularly strong or agile when compared to other animals, our intelligence and cunning ability to avoid death usually get the best of the would-be hunters. Of course, given the alien species' love for battle, this probably just invites even more Predators to our little pale blue dot.
Hulu's direct-to-streaming movie "Prey" acts as a prequel to the 1987 film, and it is set in the early 1700s, nearly 300 years before Arnold Schwarzenegger came face to face with the ugly beast. The film follows a young Comanche woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder), who dreams of becoming a hunter. Ultimately, her dreams help her to come to terms with the intergalactic threat long before her compatriots do. Although she both fears and respects the Predator, the local gang of French fur-trappers do not, much to their detriment.
The film has been a huge success with critics, and the movie currently has a 92% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is also setting viewership records on Hulu.
Prey is Hulu's biggest debut ever
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney announced that "Prey" has been the biggest premiere thus far for Hulu, outpacing all other movies and television shows in the streamer's catalog. Unfortunately, Disney does not release hard data to back up these claims, but the fact that they announced it means that "Prey" has been an overwhelming success.
Disney has long wanted to create original content for its Hulu service, and the success of "Prey" could prove a stepping stone to more feature-length films that skip the theater. According to Variety, the previous best television debut on Hulu was the 2022 premiere of "The Kardashians." Hulu's previous big film successes include 2020's "Palm Springs" and "Run."
In an interview with Uproxx, director Dan Trachtenberg was asked why "Prey" was only available on Hulu and not in theaters, and he replied, "I mean, look, we made it to be a big theatrical experience and on the downside, it's not being released that way. So you can't see [it] in the theater, but on the upside, the thing you're getting straight into your living room is a giant theatrical experience. It's not like a straight video dumping ground. It's like, 'This is a real movie.'" The director then clarified that Disney wanted "Prey" to be something that brings people to the service.
Considering both the viewership and critical response thus far, it seems like "Prey" went above and beyond, like a certain Native American warrior who comes back to camp covered in glowing green alien blood.