Directed by Zach Cregger, Sony’s zombie-infested Resident Evil reboot earned $26.3 million domestically on opening day across 3,684 screens, positioning the horror adaptation to secure the largest opening weekend in the franchise’s history with an expected weekend haul between $53 million and $55 million.
Movie theater operators are looking to the new horror-comedy to inject life into the early fall box office. Sony Pictures initially projected a domestic debut between $40 million and $50 million, but rivals and independent tracking services indicate ticket sales could approach $60 million following strong first-day figures that included $8.8 million from Thursday previews alone.
Sony spent a reported $75 million to produce the picture, which serves as the second remake and eighth overall installment in a multimedia franchise that began as a 1996 video game. The current trajectory places the reboot on track to comfortably eclipse the previous franchise-best domestic opening set by 2010’s Resident Evil: Afterlife, which launched with $26 million.
Box Office Momentum and Cregger’s Track Record
The film’s performance continues a lucrative run for director Zach Cregger, whose previous R-rated original thriller, Weapons, opened to $43 million and went on to gross $270 million globally against a $38 million budget. Studio executives and exhibitors are banking on that same directorial pull to sustain ticket sales past the core fan base.
Overseas projections add another significant sum, pointing toward an estimated global launch of roughly $80 million.
An Original Story and Fan Skepticism
Cregger co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten, casting Austin Abrams in the lead role as a medical courier forced to navigate a deadly viral outbreak and battle infested monsters after arriving at Raccoon City General Hospital. The narrative departs from established game storylines by omitting familiar protagonists from Capcom’s universe in favor of an original survival horror tale, a creative choice that initially drew skepticism from purists.
Photo: hollywoodreporter.com
“I think I was naive. I thought fans of these games, like me, would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie. I was like, ‘That’s great.’ I did not really appreciate the sentiment that, ‘We’ve been waiting forever for Leon’s story.’ And I appreciate that, and I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing.”
Despite early friction over omitted characters, audience reception has stabilized. The film secured a B+ CinemaScore from opening crowds. Critical response has also shifted sharply positive, earning a 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 92 percent audience score. Reviewers have highlighted the director’s tonal balance between terror and dark humor, with Variety praising the project as an entertaining departure from earlier iterations of the cinematic property.
Where the Weekend Standings Land
As the weekend’s dominant new arrival, the zombie thriller occupies the top slot on domestic charts without major competition from other wide releases. Meanwhile, holdovers and second-week titles continue to shuffle the box office rankings.
