Prey Is Finally Getting A Physical Media Release Following Hulu Debut

Hulu

By Ryan Scott/Aug. 17, 2023 10:13 am EST

In a big win for lovers of physical media, one of the most acclaimed streaming releases of 2022 is finally coming to home media. After rumors swirled online, Disney has officially announced that "Prey" will indeed be getting a physical release on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD from October 3, 2023. This will include a collector's edition 4K SteelBook with cover art by Attila Szarka, available exclusively from Best Buy. Rejoice, "Predator" fans, for your collection can now be complete without having to exclusively resort to streaming the film on Hulu.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg of "10 Cloverfield Lane" fame, "Prey" is a prequel set within the "Predator" universe that takes place 300 years ago set in the Comanche Nation. It stars Amber Midthunder as a Comanche woman who has to tangle with the alien hunter with no fancy technology to back her up. But much like Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch in the original '80s action classic, ingenuity and clever thinking get the job done. The film also stars Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, and Dane DiLiegro. The Blu-ray release will include the Comanche audio track along with more than two hours of bonus features, including:

Making of Prey: Step behind the scenes of Prey as the cast and crew explore the genesis of the project, how they gave authenticity to the story, the intense physical training the cast endured, and the effects work that brought the iconic Predator back to the screen.
Prey FYC Panel With Cast & Crew: Go deeper into Prey with a lively panel discussion featuring director Dan Trachtenberg, actor Amber Midthunder, producer Jhane Myers, director of photography Jeff Cutter, film editor Angela M. Catanzaro and creature effects designer Alec Gillis.
Alternative Opening Scene: Check out a scene that didn't make the cut with commentary by Dan Trachtenberg.
Deleted Scene: Big Warrior, Little Warrior: Check out a scene that didn't make the cut with commentary by Dan Trachtenberg.
Deleted Scene: Treetop Chase (pre-vis): Check out a scene that didn't make the cut with commentary by Dan Trachtenberg.
Audio Commentary: Play Movie With Audio Commentary By Dan Trachtenberg, Amber Midthunder, Jeff Cutter & Angela M. Catanzaro.

Released directly to Hulu rather than in theaters, the movie was met with incredibly strong reviews, becoming the best-reviewed movie in the history of the franchise by a considerable margin. It also recently racked up six Emmy nominations to help punctuate a terrific run. Perhaps those Emmy nods are what finally pushed the physical release over the top. In any case, it's a nice turn of events, even if it should have happened months ago.

A wise move by Disney

"Prey" focuses on a young woman named Naru (Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled warrior. When danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people and winds up in the crosshairs of a highly evolved alien predator. To quote another monster movie franchise character: "Let them fight."

Luckily, it seems the movie business at large is starting to move away from the idea of exclusive streaming releases living on that streaming service forever and always. For one thing, services like Max, Disney+, and yes, Hulu have been removing movies and TV shows pretty frequently as of late as a means of cost-cutting. So movies like "Prey" are not totally safe, necessarily, to exist forever on Hulu. Fans of many of these shows or movies that have been removed from services are left with nowhere to turn. If all of them had been given a physical media release, it wouldn't be as much of an issue.

It's unlikely that a Blu-ray release is going to deter anyone from subscribing to Hulu, or any other service for that matter. On the flip side, it does allow those who want a physical copy to pay for one, and that's money Disney and other studios might be missing out on right now with streaming-only releases. Is it likely a lot of money? Given the decline in physical media in recent years, maybe not. But money is money, and this is a business, after all. Give the people what they want!

"Prey" is now streaming on Hulu. Look for it on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD from October 3, 2023.