Resident Evil has opened with the biggest domestic debut in the history of the video-game movie franchise. Zach Cregger's new film earned an estimated $60 million in the United States and Canada from 3,684 theaters during its opening weekend, according to studio estimates reported by the Associated Press.
The result also gave the movie a strong global start. The film made approximately $48.3 million internationally, bringing its reported worldwide opening to about $108.3 million. The new movie is the eighth theatrical Resident Evil film since the series began in 2002.
A new approach to Resident Evil
The latest movie is directed by Zach Cregger, whose previous films include Barbarian and Weapons. Instead of continuing the earlier movie storyline, the new film takes the franchise in a new direction. Austin Abrams stars as a medical courier whose final job of the night sends him into a dangerous outbreak involving infected creatures in Raccoon City.
The movie's opening is notable because the franchise had gone through several different phases over more than two decades. The new result shows that there is still substantial theatrical interest in a Resident Evil film when the property is paired with a new creative approach.
How big is the opening?
The $60 million domestic figure is officially described as a franchise-best opening. For comparison, Resident Evil: Afterlife earned about $60.1 million over its entire domestic theatrical run in 2010, not adjusted for inflation. The new film therefore reached almost the same number in just its first weekend.
Entertainment Weekly reported the same $60 million domestic opening and a $108.3 million worldwide launch, noting that the film's performance contributed to an unusually strong year for horror at the box office.
Audience and critic response
The opening has been accompanied by a positive early critical response. The Associated Press reported a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score at the time of its box-office report, while the film received a B+ CinemaScore from opening-night audiences. Scores can change as more reviews and audience ratings are added, so these figures should be treated as a snapshot of the opening period rather than a final assessment.
What this means for the franchise
The strongest immediate takeaway is the size of the theatrical launch. A $60 million domestic opening gives Sony and the filmmakers a strong start and puts the new Resident Evil in a very different position from several earlier entries.
The movie's longer-term performance will depend on its second-weekend hold, international markets and how audiences continue responding after the opening rush. For now, though, the reboot has made a clear mark: Resident Evil has posted the franchise's biggest domestic opening to date.
Source
Associated Press — Resident Evil box office report