Box Office: ‘Resident Evil’ tops box office with franchise best debut of $60 million, tell me about this news in (https://www.courant.com/2026/09/20/box-office-resident-evil-tops-box-office-with-franchise-best-debut-of-60-million/)

The news reports on the major box office success of Sony Pictures’ new “Resident Evil” film, directed and co-written by Zach Cregger (known for “Barbarian” and “Weapons”):

• Record-Breaking Debut: The film took first place at the North American box office with an estimated $60 million opening weekend across 3,684 theaters in the United States and Canada. This marks the biggest opening in the history of the “Resident Evil” movie franchise, more than doubling the previous record held by 2010’s “Resident Evil: Afterlife” ($26.6 million), and marks the biggest debut of Cregger’s directing career.

• Domestic & Global Totals: In just its opening weekend, the film earned almost as much as any previous franchise entry made over its entire domestic theatrical run. Overseas, the film added $48.3 million, pushing its worldwide opening haul to $108.3 million against a reported production budget of roughly $75 million (excluding marketing expenses).

• Premise and Cast: The film stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier caught in Raccoon City fighting off infected creatures during his final delivery run of the night.

• Critical and Audience Reception: Unlike many previous video-game adaptations, this release received widespread critical praise, holding a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Exit polling showed audiences were 66% male and 75% under age 35, earning the film a solid “B+” CinemaScore, which is exceptionally high for a horror title.