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where did they film predator badlands

“Predator: Badlands” was filmed in New Zealand , mainly on the North Island, using several rugged natural locations to stand in for its alien worlds.

Main Filming Locations

  • Rotorua (Bay of Plenty, North Island) – This was one of the core bases for shooting, especially around areas like Hamurana Springs, where the geothermal landscapes and dense forests were used to create the film’s harsh, otherworldly terrain.
  • Te Kūiti (Waitomo District, Waikato) – A smaller town in the Waikato region that provided additional outdoor environments for on‑location sequences.
  • South Head Peninsula (near Helensville, Auckland Region) – The production used this remote peninsula, with its dunes, coastline, and farmland, to capture the feeling of an isolated “death planet” landscape.
  • Auckland (studios and interiors) – Interior and studio work was done in the Auckland area, complementing the on‑location shoots in Rotorua and elsewhere.

Quick facts

  • The movie is set on alien worlds (like Yautja Prime and other hostile planets), but the real‑world “badlands” you see are New Zealand’s forests, geothermal fields, and coastlines.
  • Filming ran roughly from June–September 2024 , with the production wrapping in October 2024 before its theatrical release in November 2025.

So if you’re wondering “where did they film Predator: Badlands,” the answer is: primarily around Rotorua, Te Kūiti, South Head Peninsula, and studios in Auckland, all in New Zealand.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.