Predators (2025 film)

Predators
Directed byDavid Osit
Produced by
  • Kellen Quinn
  • Jamie Gonçalves
  • David Osit
CinematographyDavid Osit
Edited by
  • David Osit
  • Nicolás Nørgaard Staffolani
Music byTim Hecker
Production
companies
  • Sweet Relief Productions
  • Rosewater Pictures
Distributed byMTV Documentary Films
Release dates
  • January 25, 2025 (2025-01-25) (Sundance)
  • September 19, 2025 (2025-09-19) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$61,252[1][2]

Predators is a 2025 documentary film produced and directed by David Osit. It follows the rise and fall of the reality television program To Catch a Predator, which aired on NBC from 2004 to 2007.[3]

The film had its world premiere at the U.S. Documentary Competition of 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 25. It was theatrically released on September 19, 2025, by MTV Documentary Films.

Premise

The documentary film explores the rise and fall of the reality television program To Catch a Predator, which aired on NBC from 2004 to 2007 featuring interviews with some of the former decoys, clips and unseen raw footage from the series (alongside other archival footage featuring Jimmy Kimmel, Oprah Winfrey and Jon Stewart praising the show's impact on popular culture) and an interview with host Chris Hansen.[4]

Production

David Osit wanted to make a documentary revolving around To Catch a Predator after finding a fan community on Reddit, which included raw and unaired footage.[5] Osit additionally wanted to explore copycat versions of the show made by other people.[6]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025,[7] where it was cited as one of the best films of the festival by numerous publications including IndieWire, Vanity Fair, Variety and Rolling Stone.[8]

In March 2025, MTV Documentary Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[9] It was released on September 19, 2025,[10]

In November 2025, Paramount+ announced it would begin streaming the film worldwide starting December 8.[11]

Reception

Predators received positive reviews from film critics, and has been cited as one of the year's best documentaries.[12][13] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 78 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "A searing and intellectually rigorous documentary, Predators examines the motives behind public justice to reveal the disturbing ethical consequences of turning real life trauma into spectacle."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In his Critic's Pick review for IndieWire, David Ehrlich referred to the film as "raw and riveting",[15] and Variety critic Guy Lodge wrote, "Osit's brilliant, subtly needling film leaves us unnerved and alert, but not certain of our convictions – an outcome, perhaps, that more true-crime programming should pursue.".[16]

It was also listed as a New York Times Critic's Pick.[17]

Accolades

Predators was nominated for a Peabody Award[18] and a News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary.[19]

Lists

Predators in end-of-year lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Indiewire The Best Movies of 2025 18 [20]
The Best Documentaries of 2025 Placed [21]
The New York Times Best Films of 2025 6 [22]
ScreenCrush The Best Movies Of 2025 5 [23]
The Guardian The 50 Best Movies Of 2025 14 [24]
Little White Lies The 30 Best Films of 2025 21 [25]
Film Comment Best Films of 2025 9 [26]

References

  1. ↑ "Predators". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Predators". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  3. ↑ "2026 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (September 20, 2025). "'Abject horror': the troubling history of paedophile-hunting TV shows" – via The Guardian.
  5. ↑ Schindel, Dan (January 24, 2025). ""Emotional Ping-Pong": David Osit's 'Predators' Moves Beyond True Crime Binaries". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  6. ↑ Lang, Brent (January 26, 2025). "'To Catch a Predator' Became a Ratings Sensation By Exposing Internet Sex Predators. A New Sundance Documentary Examines Its Complicated Legacy". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  8. ↑ Fear, David (February 2, 2025). "10 Best Movies at Sundance 2025". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ Ntim, Zac (March 24, 2025). "MTV Documentary Films Acquires Sundance Doc 'Predators'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Predators: Production Notes" (PDF). The Film Collaborative. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ Carey, Matthew (November 6, 2025). "Paramount+ To Begin Streaming Oscar Contender 'Predators' Next Month; Documentary Explores Troubling Legacy of Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator'". Deadline Hollywood.
  12. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (November 12, 2025). "Predators review – grimly compelling look at reality TV revenge hunt for child abusers" – via The Guardian.
  13. ↑ Pearson, Ben (September 19, 2025). "This Must-Watch Doc Asks Uncomfortable Questions About A True Crime Sensation". SlashFilm.
  14. ↑ "Predators". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ehrlich, David (January 26, 2025). "'Predators' Review: A Damning Look at the Legacy of 'To Catch a Predator' Argues that We're All Complicit in America's Perverted Sense of Justice". IndieWire. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  16. ↑ Lodge, Guy (January 26, 2025). "'Predators' Review: David Osit's Quietly Trenchant Documentary Asks What Truth Came Out of a True-Crime Phenomenon". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  17. ↑ Kenigsberg, Ben (September 18, 2025). "'Predators' Review: Busted for Social Good (and Maybe Ratings)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ Nominees in Docs, News, Public Service, Podcast Announced
  19. ↑ Schneider, Michael (April 7, 2026). "Nat Geo's 'Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller,' PBS' 'Frontline' Lead News & Documentary Emmy Awards 2026 Nominations (FULL LIST)". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Best Movies of 2025". Indiewire. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  21. ↑ Thompson, Ben Travers,Anne (December 16, 2025). "The Best Documentaries of 2025". IndieWire. Retrieved May 19, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "New York Times: Alissa Wilkinson: Best Movies of 2025". www.yearendlists.com. December 2, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ "ScreenCrush: Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2025". www.yearendlists.com. December 8, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Guardian: The 50 Best Movies of 2025". www.yearendlists.com. December 19, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Little White Lies: The 30 Best Films of 2025". www.yearendlists.com. December 23, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Film Comment: Vadim Rizov: Best Films of 2025". www.yearendlists.com. December 12, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.

See also

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