The new Resident Evil movie is officially a box office success, winning its opening weekend at the box office. The industry is now buzzing about director Zach Cregger, who his on an unprecedented horror run after Barbarian, Weapons, and this film. Not only is Resident Evil the most critically-acclaimed video game movie ever, but it’s also the biggest opening for a Resident Evil movie ever, which saying something, since it is the eighth live-action film in the franchise.
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The records are continuing to fall as Resident Evil enters its first full week of release, and the latest figures indicate that Cregger, Sony, and PlayStation Productions should be popping yet another bottle of champagne.
Resident Evil Kills Records With $100+ Million Opening at the Box Office
According to the final figures, Resident Evil earned $108.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend. That figure means that the film has broken two additional records: It is the single biggest opening for a Resident Evil movie ever, and is also a personal best opening for Zach Cregger. See the figures for yourself, below.
| Zach Cregger Movies | Opening Weekend Totals (Worldwide) |
| Barbarian (2022) | $10 million |
| Weapons (2025) | $71 million |
| Resident Evil (2026) | $108.3 Million |
The closest franchise competitor for Cregger’s film is Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017), the sixth and final film in director Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil film series, starring Milla Jovovich. Those films had amassed a strong cult following since begging their run in 2002, and even if they had lost some luster, the final installment was still an event that brought fans back to the theater ($312 million worldwide). But if you look at the finer details, Resident Evil: TFC opened to record low figures in the US ($13.6) million; it was the international market (particularly China) that bolstered that film’s earnings.
Cregger’s Resident Evil earned $60 million domestically in its opening weekend, blowing way past any other film in the Resident Evil franchise. The second-highest opening is Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010, which opened to $26.6 million, domestically.
Check out the full figures for yourself, below, courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
| Resident Evil Movies | Opening Weekend Box Office (Domestic) |
| Resident Evil (2002) | $17.7M |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) | $23M |
| Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) | $23.6M |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) | $26.5M |
| Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) | $21M |
| Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017) | $13.6M |
| Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) | $5.3M |
| Resident Evil (2026) | $60M |
Clearly, there is no more dispute about whether the approach to tell an original story in the Resident Evil universe (and not a direct adapation of the games) was the right call. Zach Cregger has already teased idea concepts for a Resident Evil sequel, but has also expressed being okay with this film being a standalone experiment. As the box office barriers keep getting shattered, it’ll be interesting to see how the studio proceeds. It’s also going to be very interesting to see how the gamer community reacts to all this success, after being so highly-critical of Cregger’s original story approach.
Resident Evil is now playing in theaters and IMAX.
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Forum Conversation: RESIDENT EVIL MOVIE – Reactions & Thoughts
Go to ForumI really dug it. I think it captured what it’s like to play the game really well – even if the tone and some of the details don’t line up exactly with what game fans might have wanted. I think it’s a better movie for it.
This is a safe space to discuss Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil before, during, or after seeing the film!
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS (Eventually)