Editing Predator 2 (section)

==Reception==
===Box office===
Released on November 21, 1990, ''Predator 2'' was #4 at the US box office in its opening weekend, with a gross of over $8 million behind the films ''[[Dances with Wolves]]'', ''[[Three Men and a Little Lady]]'', ''[[Rocky V]]'', and Twentieth Century Fox's own film ''[[Home Alone]]''. The film grossed a total of $57 million, $30 million of which was from the United States.<ref name="Predator 2 1990"/> The worldwide box office revenue totaled $57,120,318 in ticket sales. The film became the lowest-grossing film in the ''Predator'' franchise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Predator|title=Box Office History for Predator Movies|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|accessdate=November 6, 2023}}</ref>

===Critical response===
{{further|List of accolades received by the Predator film series#Predator 2}}
In 1990, the film's reviews were generally negative, though reviewers were generally impressed by the casting of Danny Glover as an action hero.<ref>{{cite web|title=23 Nov 1990, 226 The Miami Herald|url=https://miamiherald.newspapers.com/image/635791029/?terms=predator&match=1|website=newspaper.com|publisher=[[The Miami Herald]]}}</ref><ref name="WPrev2" /><ref name="WPrev1" /> On review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film received an approval rating of 29% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's consensus states: "The thrill of the hunt is gone in this hackneyed sequel."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/predator_2/|title=Predator 2 (1990)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] score of 46 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/predator-2 |title=Predator 2 Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=May 13, 2018}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|title=CinemaScore|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041238/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|archive-date=July 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The reviewers for ''[[The Washington Post]]'' were split: Rita Kempley enjoyed the film, saying that it had "the dismal irony of ''[[RoboCop]]'' and the brooding fatalism of ''[[Blade Runner]]''", and that Glover "brings an unusual depth to the action-adventure and proves fiercely effective as the Predator's new nemesis".<ref name="WPrev1">Rita Kempley, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/predator2rkempley_a0a0b6.htm 'Predator 2'], ''Washington Post'', November 21, 1990, Accessed October 24, 2020.</ref> Desson Howe said the film was "blithely unoriginal" and numbingly violent, but also praised Glover's ability to bring warmth to the center of a cold film.<ref name="WPrev2">Desson Howe, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/predator2rhowe_a0b2be.htm 'Predator 2'], ''Washington Post'', November 23, 1990, Accessed October 24, 2020.</ref>

In her review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Janet Maslin]] called the film "an unbeatable contender" for the "most mindless, mean-spirited action film of the holiday season".<ref name="NYTrev">Janet Maslin, [https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE7DD143FF932A15752C1A966958260 Predator 2 (1990) Review/Film; The Quarry: Humans], ''The New York Times'', November 21, 1990, Accessed January 6, 2011.</ref> ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' critic [[Roger Ebert]], in giving the film two out of four stars, suggested that it represents an "angry and ugly" dream. He said that the creatures' design had racist undertones where "subliminal clues [...] encourage us to subconsciously connect the menace with black males".<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Roger Ebert, Film Review for ''Predator 2''|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/predator-2-1990|date=November 21, 1990|access-date=July 9, 2007}}</ref>

===Legacy===
{{Unreliable sources section|date=April 2025}}
Several retrospective reviews have considered the film underrated, and it has gained a cult following.{{efn|Multiple references ascribe a cult following:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/reasons-predator-2-best-sequel-predators-better/|title=Predator: 5 Ways Predator 2 Is The Definitive Sequel (& 5 Ways It's Predators)|date=November 15, 2020|website=ScreenRant|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/predator-2-30-misunderstood-masterpiece-161709172.html|title = 'Predator 2' at 30: A misunderstood masterpiece?| date=November 23, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/21/hear-me-out-why-predator-2-isnt-a-bad-movie | title=Hear me out: Why Predator 2 isn't a bad movie | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=July 21, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com/2017/06/cult-cinema-predator-2-1990-unsung-hero.html | title=Cult Cinema: Predator 2 (1990) – Unsung Hero of a Franchise | date=June 13, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=September 15, 2017|last=Kessler|first=Martin|title=In Defence of... ''Predator 2'' (1990).|url=https://www.film89.co.uk/in-defence-of-predator-2-1990}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=November 21, 2015|last=Barkan|first=Jonathan|title="You're One Ugly Mother F*cker...": {{'}}''Predator 2''{{'}} Turns 25 Today!|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3370679/youre-one-ugly-mother-fcker-predator-2-turns-25-today|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]!|quote=Film ’89 Verdict – 8.5/10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.slashfilm.com/952289/why-predator-2-is-the-most-underrated-movie-in-the-predator-franchise/ | title=Why Predator 2 is the Most Underrated Movie in the Predator Franchise | date=August 4, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://collider.com/predator-2-danny-glover-underrated-sequel/ | title='Predator 2' Sought out New Prey in an Underrated Sequel | website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] | date=August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/every-predator-movie-ranked-worst-best-prey-2022/ | title=Every Predator Movie Ranked (Including Prey) | date=August 5, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://winteriscoming.net/2022/08/06/all-7-predator-movies-ranked-avp-prey-best-worst/5/ | title=All 7 Predator movies, ranked from worst to best | date=August 6, 2022 }}</ref>}}

Later, director Stephen Hopkins said: "It's so over the top. I just sort of went for it and made the biggest, boldest, loudest movie I could make. I was only 29 years old – I was like a rampant child, running around Los Angeles, blowing the shit out of everything and making things as bloody as possible." About the modest reception at the box office and the cult status since its release, he added "It had a big initial opening weekend if I remember correctly – but I think many people were disappointed that Arnold wasn’t in it. A lot of people like the film and some prefer it to the original – just because it’s in a city and more contemporary."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scifinow.co.uk/interviews/throwback-predator-2|title=Throwback: ''Predator 2''|date=November 19, 2020}}</ref>

Danny Glover was proud of his performance, saying:
<blockquote>I have two films I’ve done that I feel that I was bigger than life in, in which I felt that I could control the space. ''[[Silverado (film)|Silverado]]'' for me, and ''Predator 2''. In ''Predator 2'', it was like 'who's the baddest cat in your space, and the baddest cat says 'I'm gonna challenge you.' Mano y mano. I was the baddest guy in his space. What happens? I kill him, and then the others come around, and I’m like 'alright... who's next?' I was about 42, 43.. in the best shape in my life, best shape I’ve been in. I was running on the beach, had my training, I was lifting weights a lot more than I am now. I was really feeling it in that movie.<ref name="DR">{{cite web|url=https://douglassalumni.blogspot.com/2015/11/an-interview-with-danny-glover_22.html|title=Douglass-Riverview News and Current Events: An Interview with Danny Glover|date=November 22, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/role-recall-danny-glover-remembers-the-color-purple-saw-and-his-classic-line-in-lethal-weapon-172058055.html|title=Role Recall: Danny Glover Remembers {{'}}''The Color Purple'',' {{'}}''Saw'',' and His Classic Line in {{'}}''Lethal Weapon''{{'}}|date=November 10, 2016 }}</ref></blockquote>