The fully digital release of the Predator prequel Prey became the biggest debut for a movie on Hulu ever.
Coming out of nowhere, Prey became a smash hit on the streaming service Hulu after it debuted on August 5.
Critics and audiences alike praised the Predator prequel for its representation of indigenous peoples, non-stop action, and character development.
Many commentators and fans speculated that the movie’s strong word-of-mouth could have carried it to a respectable opening weekend if Prey had a traditional box office release.
According to Hulu, those theories may not be unfounded.
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The streaming service announced that during its opening weekend, Prey became the number one debut in the platform’s history.
The deadliest hunt in history makes history. #PreyMovie is the # 1 premiere on Hulu to date! Have you streamed it yet? https://t.co/t9ZocghyrA pic.twitter.com/FUBrLwjmwy
— Hulu (@hulu) August 9, 2022
The celebratory tweet proclaims that “The deadliest hunt in history makes history. #PreyMovie is the # 1 premiere on Hulu to date!”
This was calculated based on the total number of hours watched in the first three days, which could allow Disney and Hulu to have a rough calculation of how many full viewings took place.
Even though it’s likely that fewer people would have seen the movie in theaters as opposed to in the comfort of their own homes on a streaming platform they used, Prey’s incredible debut on Hulu certainly supports those fans who think it would have done well at the box office.