Prey

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Prey?

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, with Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush leading the cast, Prey was produced by 20th Century Studios with a confirmed budget of $65,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget category for thriller films as part of the Predator Collection.

With a $65,000,000 budget, Prey sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $162,500,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• 300 (2007): Budget $65,000,000 | Gross $456,082,343 → ROI: 602% • A Knight's Tale (2001): Budget $65,000,000 | Gross $117,487,473 → ROI: 81% • Collateral (2004): Budget $65,000,000 | Gross $220,239,925 → ROI: 239% • Eyes Wide Shut (1999): Budget $65,000,000 | Gross $162,100,000 → ROI: 149% • Marty Supreme (2025): Budget $65,000,000 | Gross $274,459,312 → ROI: 322%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Talent & Director Compensation Thrillers depend on compelling lead performances to sustain tension, making cast compensation a primary budget concern. Directors with proven thriller credentials command premium fees.

▸ Cinematography & Location Photography Thriller aesthetics demand specific visual languages — surveillance-style photography, claustrophobic framing, or expansive location work across multiple cities or countries.

▸ Editorial & Sound Post-Production Precision editing — controlling information flow, building suspense through pacing, and orchestrating reveals — requires extended post-production schedules.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope Key roles: Amber Midthunder as Naru; Dakota Beavers as Taabe; Michelle Thrush as Aruka; Stormee Kipp as Wasape

DIRECTOR: Dan Trachtenberg CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jeff Cutter MUSIC: Sarah Schachner EDITING: Angela M. Catanzaro, Claudia Castello PRODUCTION: 20th Century Studios, Davis Entertainment, Lawrence Gordon Productions FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for Prey (2022). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

Franchise: Prey is part of the Predator Collection.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Filming & Locations

Filming began in June 2021 in Calgary, Alberta primarily in Stoney Nakoda First Nation land 45 minutes outside the city, with studio set pieces including the beaver dam where the protagonist Naru hides from a bear and the fur trapper camp where she baits the Predator. Additional locations include Moose Mountain and Elbow River. The cast preceded filming with four weeks of training camp, working with weapons and personal trainers, and while team-building they conceived a sign language for the characters to communicate non-verbally. Midthunder had a particular focus on axe throwing, with a rope being attached to the axe's end in order for it to be quickly obtained. Jhane Myers, a member of both the Comanche Nation and the Blackfeet Nation, served as a producer on the film. In September, filming wrapped and the castings of Dakota Beavers and Dane DiLiegro were confirmed. Sarii, Naru's dog companion, was played by a Carolina dog named Coco who was adopted and trained specifically for the film. The idea of giving Naru a dog companion was inspired by Mad Max 2. Initially, Coco was to be in fewer scenes, but they found with her training and energy they were able to include the dog in several more scenes, including some of the action sequences.

[Filming] Filming began in June 2021 in Calgary, Alberta primarily in Stoney Nakoda First Nation land 45 minutes outside the city, with studio set pieces including the beaver dam where the protagonist Naru hides from a bear and the fur trapper camp where she baits the Predator. Additional locations include Moose Mountain and Elbow River. The cast preceded filming with four weeks of training camp, working with weapons and personal trainers, and while team-building they conceived a sign language for the characters to communicate non-verbally. Midthunder had a particular focus on axe throwing, with a rope being attached to the axe's end in order for it to be quickly obtained.

▸ Visual Effects & Design

Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. (ADI) was hired to work on the visual and creature effects on the film, having previously worked on The Predator and the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). The Predator's new design aimed to make him scarier and also take advantage of the leaner physique of portrayer Dane DiLiegro. To make him less humanoid, there were changes to the face like more spaced eyes that led to a head fully made of animatronics standing atop DiLiegro's own, reducing his sight to two small holes in the neck piece. The costume, which had the challenge of being flexible for the fight choreography while resistant enough to withstand the location's weather, weighed and was primarily made out of foam latex, which DiLiegro noted as being "essentially a sponge" getting heavier and wetter as he sweated under the summer sun.

During post-production, Moving Picture Company (MPC) was the main company for the visual effects; these included a full digital recreation of the Predator, mostly for scenes where he is invisible or to augment or replace parts of the animatronic suit, along with computer-generated animals, blood, arrows and environmental enhancements. DiLiegro himself provided the digital Predator's motion capture. At the very end, the painting includes action not shown in the film: Naru, Sarii and three other Comanche are gathered around the severed head of the Predator. They look up and, amid lightning, see three Predator spaceships headed down from the sky towards them.

▸ Music & Score

Sarah Schachner composed the musical score. Trachtenberg hired her after playing Assassin's Creed: Valhalla during pre-production and being impressed with her score for the game. Schachner said the music had to play a big role given the film's sparse dialogue, with the challenge of "feeling equally large and expansive as well as intimate and raw", as it featured both "fun gory action and suspense" and Naru's emotional character arc. Trachtenberg worked closely with Schachner to develop Naru's theme, as the director "was adamant that it should feel like a journey; that it starts small and really take you somewhere." Schachner recorded most of the strings herself, and Native American musician Robert Mirabal provided flute and vocals. The soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on August 5, 2022.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: Won 1 Primetime Emmy. 12 wins & 44 nominations total

Additional Recognition: Prey was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special marking the first Emmy win for the Predator franchise.

! scope="col" style="width:20%;"| Award ! scope="col" style="width:10%;"| Date of ceremony ! scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Category ! scope="col" style="width:35%;"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Result ! scope="col" style="width:5%;" class="unsortable"|

! scope="row"| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards

! scope="row"| Austin Film Critics Association Awards

! scope="row"| Cinema Audio Society Awards

! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Critics' Choice Awards

! rowspan="2" scope="row"|Critics' Choice Super Awards

! rowspan="3" scope="row"| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards

! scope="row" rowspan="2"|Primetime Emmy Awards

! scope="row" rowspan="4" | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

! scope="row" | Hollywood Music in Media Awards

! scope="row" | Hugo Awards

! scope="row" | Producers Guild of America Awards

! rowspan="3" scope="row" | Saturn Awards

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It became the highest-rated Predator film on both websites with many critics calling it the best Predator installment since the first film. Two stars from the original Predator film commented positively. Jesse Ventura praised Amber Midthunder and the director: "Thank you for making such a thoughtful, creative, and wonderful film." Bill Duke was also enthusiastic about the film: "It's an amazing film and @AmberMidthunder is phenomenal."

David Fear of Rolling Stone referred to the film as a "long-awaited masterpiece" and "series highlight" and compared Midthunder's character favorably to Ellen Ripley of the Alien films. Andrew Webster of The Verge admired "how patient it is", adding, "What makes Prey work is its simplicity. It never strays from its concept, instead slowly building up the tension before reaching a very exciting battle." Belen Edwards of Mashable called it "intimate and character-driven, with more than enough action to satisfy the most die-hard Predator fans ... even if you've never watched a Predator movie, chances are you'll love Prey. It's just that good."

In a 3.5-out-of-4-star review, Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com praised Naru's character and the representation of the Comanche Nation and called the film a "scary and fun amusement park ride that also elicits a surprisingly tender emotional response". Tom Jorgensen of IGN rated it 8 out of 10, commended the level of violence and tension depicted across the action sequences, and felt the story was simple without being simplistic.