Zach Cregger's reimagining of Resident Evil opened to a franchise-record $106.5 million worldwide, including $60.1 million domestically from 3,684 theaters, according to studio estimates for the September 18-20 weekend. The debut marks the biggest opening of Cregger's career, surpassing his previous films Weapons and Barbarian, and instantly becomes the highest-grossing title in the Resident Evil series domestically, edging past Resident Evil: Afterlife by a margin of just $24,312.
Sony positioned the film as a mid-sized horror blockbuster rather than a traditional action entry, focusing on a lead character escaping Raccoon City while pursued by mutated zombies. The strategy appears to have paid off: the film holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 on Metacritic, both records for a video game adaptation. Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore, notably higher than any previous Resident Evil film. According to Sony, 66% of the audience was male and 64% was 25 or older, while 36% had played at least one game in the franchise. An estimated 37% said they attended because of Cregger, underscoring his growing drawing power.
The weekend's top 10 earned a combined $101.7 million, up 55.7% from the same frame last year. The real headline, however, belonged to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which added $6.4 million in its latest frame, a decline of just 24%, to reach $944.4 million domestically. That total officially dethrones The Force Awakens ($936 million) as the biggest domestic release of all time. While the film is slowing down, it is expected to finish around $965 million domestically. In terms of actual ticket sales, The Force Awakens remains far ahead.
Practical Magic 2, last week's champion, collapsed in its second weekend with $12.1 million, a 59% drop that ranks among the steepest for a recent legacy sequel, steeper than Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (54%), Blade Runner 2049 (53%) and The Devil Wears Prada 2 (46%). Through 10 days, the film has earned a disappointing $50 million. While it has passed the original's domestic gross of $46.7 million, it trails far behind when adjusted for inflation. With mixed word of mouth and more options for female audiences on the horizon, the sequel is projected to finish just above $70 million domestically, meaning lower attendance than the 1998 original. Its weak overseas performance adds to Warner Bros.' recent struggles, leaving the studio as the only major player without a $100 million grosser this year.
Elsewhere, The Odyssey dropped 35% to $4.9 million, a solid hold given it lost IMAX screens to Resident Evil. It now stands at $609.8 million domestically and is still aiming for $630 million. Coyote vs. Acme eased 31% to $4.4 million, bringing its total to $54.7 million ahead of expected competition from Forgotten Island. Daniel and the Fiery Furnace debuted in seventh place with $3.3 million from 1,525 theaters. Angel Studios' Runner fell 53% to $3 million, reaching $11.8 million after 10 days. Fathom Events' 40th-anniversary re-release of The Transformers: The Movie earned $3.1 million, or $4.1 million including Thursday previews, lifting its lifetime domestic gross to $10 million. Vertical's The Weight, starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, tanked in ninth place.
With horror continuing to drive the market, Resident Evil's strong start suggests it could reach $150 million domestically, even with October competition on the way. Cregger already has his next original film, The Flood, set for August 2027.