“Weapons” director Zach Cregger has electrified the box office again, this time with his take on “Resident Evil.”
His reboot of the ’90s zombie video game has collected $60 million in its opening weekend. Those ticket sales are way above expectations, and they register as the largest debut in the 24-year-old franchise. Previously, 2010’s “Resident Evil: Afterlife” with Milla Jovovich ranked as the largest opening in the series with $26 million (not adjusted for inflation).
Heading into the weekend, “Resident Evil” was tracking a debut around $40 million to $50 million. The movie, Sony’s second recent remake and the eighth overall installment in the horror series, beat expectations thanks to great reviews and stellar word-of-mouth, as well as goodwill toward Cregger. The director, who broke out with 2022’s low-budget success “Barbarian,” emerged as a major force in horror after last year’s “Weapons,” which shattered projections and ignited to $43 million at the domestic box office. “Weapons” continued to draw crowds, ending its box office run with a mighty $270 million globally against a $38 million budget — and winning an Oscar for star Amy Madigan.
Sony shelled out $75 million for “Resident Evil,” which comes five years after the studio last attempted to reboot the property. That effort, 2021’s “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” was a critical and commercial failure with $42 million worldwide against a $25 million budget. “Resident Evil” began as a 1996 video game and was first adapted for the big screen in 2002’s “Resident Evil,” starring Jovovich. She reprised her role as Alice, a former security specialist and covert operative, in five follow-up films in the 2000s and 2010s. All of the original “Resident Evil” films opened in the $20 million range (not adjusted for inflation), while “Welcome to Raccoon City” faltered with $5.3 million in its debut. “Resident Evil: Afterlife” is currently the highest-grossing installment with $300 million globally.
In the new “Resident Evil,” Cregger reunites with “Weapons” actor Austin Abrams, who stars as a medical courier who fights through a viral outbreak of infested monsters in Raccoon City. Reviews and audience reception –“Resident Evil” has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and “B+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls — should continue to fuel the movie in the coming weeks.
“This is a big comeback after the previous episode stumbled during the pandemic,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Reviews are outstanding and the audience score is excellent for the genre.”
As this weekend’s only major release, “Resident Evil” easily topped the domestic box office. Last weekend’s champion, “Practical Magic 2,” slid to second place with an estimated $11 million from 4,163 theaters, a rough 65% decline from its disappointing $30 million debut. The movie has earned $49 million in North America to date. Warner Bros. spent a substantial $75 million to produce the second “Practical Magic,” which will struggle to get out of the red in its theatrical run since theater owners get to keep half of ticket sales.
Third place went to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with $6.5 million in its eighth weekend of release. Sony’s comic book adaptation has generated a sensational $944 million in North America and recently overtook 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the highest-grossing domestic release in history. Globally, Tom Holland’s Spidey adventure has earned $2.45 billion to stand as the third-largest release of all time.
“The Odyssey” was No. 4 with $4.9 million in its 10th weekend on the big screen. Christopher Nolan’s star-studded blockbuster has been another box office force with $609 million in North America and $1.7 billion globally.
More to come…
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