‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Shatters Box Office Projections In $60 Million Opening

Sony’s Resident Evil film has launched with an estimated $108.3 million worldwide, driven by a $60 million domestic debut and $48.3 million internationally across 62 markets, according to Yahoo Movies. The worldwide opening figures surpass the $102.3 million lifetime gross of the original 2002 Resident Evil movie. With a reported production budget of $75 million before marketing costs, the picture has already generated more than its production budget during its opening weekend.

Resident Evil Reboot Racks Up $108.3 Million Worldwide Opening

Internationally, the film’s opening was led by the United Kingdom with $5.8 million, followed closely by Mexico with $5.6 million. France and Australia each contributed $2.6 million, Germany added $2.5 million, and Spain generated $2.3 million, as reported by Twisted Voxel. The opening weekend easily secures the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts as the weekend’s major release, outperforming earlier franchise entries that historically opened in the $20 million range.

Preview Records and Box Office Momentum for Director Zach Cregger

The reboot arrived in cinemas following a record-setting preview night. According to Fanbolt, the feature opened its weekend with $8.8 million in previews, marking the biggest preview haul ever recorded for the long-running horror property.

Director Zach Cregger built anticipation following his previous work, including the horror hits Barbarian and Weapons. His 2025 follow-up Weapons opened with $43 million and a $5.7 million preview start on its way to a $270 million global run. The new adaptation outpaced that Thursday night start by a wide margin, setting up what industry trackers view as back-to-back commercial successes for the filmmaker.

Cast, Plot, and Critical Reception

Written and directed by Zach Cregger alongside co-writer Shay Hatten, the reboot presents an original survival-horror story influenced by the atmosphere and pacing of games such as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. The plot follows Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams, who fights through a viral outbreak of infested monsters while making a delivery in Raccoon City.

Critical reception has proven exceptionally strong for the video game adaptation. The film holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a “Verified Hot” 91% audience score and a B+ grade on CinemaScore, according to Collider. Reviewers have praised the production, with Variety’s Owen Gleiberman calling it different, and much better, than the other 'Resident Evil' movies, while the Rotten Tomatoes consensus commends the project for packing unforgettable scares into a sleek runtime while providing crucial levity.

Franchise History and Context

The broader multimedia property originated as a 1996 video game before expanding into sequel games, television adaptations, and previous feature films. The initial film series was led by Milla Jovovich across the 2000s and 2010s, collectively generating $1 billion globally. Sony later attempted a reboot with 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, which brought in $42 million worldwide.

‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Shatters Box Office Projections In $60 Million Opening — Photo: collider.com

With the current global opening pushing past $108 million, the newest adaptation stands as the largest opening weekend in the history of the franchise. The overarching Resident Evil film property has now generated more than $1.28 billion worldwide across its theatrical releases.