Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opens to franchise-record $60 million

Director Zach Cregger‘s Resident Evil reboot opened to a franchise-record $60 million for Sony in North America this weekend, according to Deadline, as strong reviews and word of mouth beat forecasts.

TL;DR

• Resident Evil opened to $60 million domestically, the biggest launch in the franchise’s 24-year history and a career best for Cregger.
• It added $48.3 million overseas for a $108.3 million global debut, against a reported $75 million budget.
• Walk-up sales and a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score pushed it well past pre-release tracking of $40 million to $45 million.
• In the UK, the film opened on 18 September in 608 venues with a BBFC 15 certificate.

How Resident Evil beat box office forecasts

The film follows a medical courier who battles infected creatures while delivering a package to Raccoon City General Hospital, according to Variety. Actor Austin Abrams, who also starred in Weapons, plays the lead. Cregger co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten.

Pre-release tracking pointed to a $40 million to $45 million debut before reviews arrived on Wednesday, according to TheWrap. Thursday previews then earned $8.8 million, compared with $5.7 million for Weapons, according to Variety.

Friday closed at $26.3 million including previews, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sony was then projecting $53 million to $55 million. Weekend estimates put the three-day total at $60 million, with walk-up sales making up 54% of business, according to Deadline.

Audiences responded warmly. Variety’s weekend report cited a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B+ CinemaScore. David A. Gross, who publishes the FranchiseRe box office newsletter, said: “This is a big comeback after the previous episode stumbled during the pandemic.”

Resident Evil box office by the numbers

Domestic opening	Global opening	Reported budget
$60 million	$108.3 million	$75 million
Source: Deadline	Source: Local10	Source: Variety

Why the Resident Evil opening matters

The debut more than doubles the franchise’s previous best in unadjusted terms. Director Paul W.S. Anderson‘s Resident Evil: Afterlife opened to $26.6 million in 2010, or roughly $40.9 million after inflation, according to TheWrap.

It also tops Weapons, which opened to $43.5 million last year and finished with $270 million worldwide, according to Deadline and Variety. The result lands during a big year for horror. Rentrak figures reported by Local10 put the genre’s 2026 domestic total above $1.1 billion.

Elsewhere on the chart, Practical Magic 2 fell 59% to $12.2 million in second place. Spider-Man: Brand New Day took third with $6.5 million, according to the same Local10 report.

Resident Evil UK release date, rating and box office

Resident Evil opened in 608 UK and Irish venues on 18 September, according to Screen Daily. The BBFC rated it 15 for strong bloody violence, gore, horror and language, according to The Edinburgh Reporter.

Screen Daily said Afterlife 3D took £1.7 million in its UK opening weekend. Weapons opened to £2.6 million from 630 venues and finished near £11.8 million. UK weekend figures for Resident Evil had not been published at the time of writing.

What’s next for Resident Evil

The film opens in Thailand, the CIS and South Africa next weekend, with Japan following on 9 October, according to Deadline. China will come at a later date.

TheWrap reported that the film should hold well into October, even with Blumhouse’s Other Mommy and DC’s Clayface arriving nearer Halloween. Passing Afterlife’s $300 million global total would make it solidly profitable for Sony, the outlet added.

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Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 20 September 2026.