‘Resident Evil’ blows past projections with $108.3 million worldwide opening
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opened to an estimated $108.3 million worldwide this weekend, including a franchise-record $60 million domestic debut, easily clearing pre-release tracking as the reboot topped charts in North America and overseas.
TL;DR
- Resident Evil opened to $108.3 million worldwide, including a $60 million domestic debut — both franchise records.
- The reboot beat pre-release tracking, which had pointed to a $40 million to $50 million domestic opening.
- Austin Abrams stars as an original character in a story disconnected from the games’ established cast.
- The film opened in UK and Irish cinemas the same day as its U.S. release, September 18.
Zach Cregger, director of Weapons and Barbarian, delivered the biggest opening weekend of his career. The new film brought in $60 million domestically and $48.3 million internationally, according to Bloody Disgusting. It is now playing in 3,684 theaters across the United States.
How the opening weekend numbers stack up
The result comfortably beat pre-release tracking, according to iHorror, which had put the domestic opening between $40 million and $50 million and the global start around $80 million. By Sunday, Sony’s own internal projections of roughly $53 million to $55 million had also been cleared.
“There are certain directors who become the star of the movie,” box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told the Associated Press, according to iHorror.
A new high for the seven-film franchise
The debut tops every prior opening in the Resident Evil series. According to IndieWire, the movie’s opening weekend alone already exceeds the roughly $103 million worldwide total that Paul W.S. Anderson’s original 2002 Resident Evil earned across its entire theatrical run.
Resident Evil: Afterlife had held the franchise’s domestic opening record since 2010, at $26.6 million. It remains the series’ top domestic earner overall, with about $60.1 million in lifetime North American ticket sales, IndieWire reported.
Cregger’s biggest opening yet
The film extends a run of hits for Cregger, whose Barbarian opened to roughly $10 million in 2022 before finishing with over $46 million on a budget under $5 million, according to Empire. His 2025 follow-up, Weapons, opened to more than $42 million and went on to gross $270 million worldwide against a $38 million budget.
Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, an original character caught in a single, chaotic night in Raccoon City, alongside Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser, according to production details for the film.
UK cinemas got the film on the same day
British and Irish audiences did not have to wait for the reboot. Resident Evil opened in UK and Irish cinemas on September 18, the same day as its U.S. release, according to The Movie Waffler. A simultaneous UK release is unusual for a major studio horror title and points to Sony’s confidence in the film heading into launch.
What’s next
Sony has not confirmed a sequel. With the domestic result already outpacing forecasts and reviews holding up through opening weekend, industry watchers expect a follow-up announcement is likely if the film’s box office legs hold over the coming weeks.
Lewis Calvert Founder & Editor, BriefLedger
Lewis founded BriefLedger and has six years of experience covering film, TV, and entertainment news. He leads the site’s Movies and TV sections and runs the news desk — always with a straight-talking British take.
