Predator: Badlands” led all films in North American theaters with a debut of $40 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, a better-than-expected result that slightly lifted the box office from its autumn doldrums.

As a refresher, here is the synopsis for the Predator Badlands: "Predator: Badlands," which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a remote planet, where a yo...