Sony Pictures’ latest adaptation of the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise, written and directed by Zach Cregger, is racing toward a strong box office debut, and the film, which opened in approximately 3,500 North American theaters this week, is expected to gross around $40 million over the three-day weekend. Some third-party tracking services have raised their projections to as high as $50 million, reflecting growing audience interest.

A New Take on an Old Franchise

This is the eighth live-action film in the ‘Resident Evil’ series, but the first to serve as a complete reboot; Unlike previous entries, Cregger’s version does not feature any of the legacy characters from the video games. When asked about the decision, Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter, ‘I know that when you dive into an IP you’re going to get flack, a certain degree, from the fandom. It would be weird if I were shocked that that was happening. But I think that when the people who love these games the way I do see the movie, my hope is that they feel seen and they feel like this movie is paying homage to the games, because it is, it’s obvious.’

The film stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier trying to survive the deadly viral outbreak in Raccoon City, alongside a supporting cast that includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. The movie is a co-production of TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film, and Davis Film, and it carries a $75 million production budget.

Critical and Audience Reception

As of publication, the film holds a 96 percent critics score and a 91 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, noting that ‘Abrams’ shaggy appeal as the everyman hero who somehow manages to overcome every obstacle thrown in his way, including the most monstrous creatures Cregger and his talented creative team could devise, is a key factor in the film’s success.’

Tom Jorgensen of IGN also gave the film high praise, stating, ‘Whatever your idea of what a good Resident Evil movie should be, I have to recommend to the skeptical to put that to one side and lock in for what Zach Cregger delivers with this new adaptation of the Capcom games.’

Historic Box Office Potential

A $40 million opening would mark the highest-grossing debut in the history of the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise; the series has grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide across its previous seven films. The first live-action adaptation, released in 2002, opened to $17.7 million in North America and went on to surpass $100 million globally. Milla Jovovich starred in five of the sequels before Kaya Scodelario took over in the 2021 reboot, which did not perform as well at the box office.

With positive reviews and strong box office projections, this new ‘Resident Evil’ appears ready to alter the franchise for a new generation of fans, but Cregger’s previous success with ‘Weapons’ and ‘Barbarian’ has already established him as a filmmaker to watch, and this latest project continues his upward trajectory.