Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Debuts With Best-Ever Opening for Franchise

Zach Cregger has finally managed to give the Resident Evil franchise the revival it has needed for years. His reboot, starring Austin Abrams, is having the best opening debut, surpassing all the other movies in the franchise. The movie opened in 3,684 screens on September 18, grossing (via Box Office Mojo) $26.3 million, including $8.8 million made from Thursday’s previews. It was the No. 1 new release on Friday. Saturday could add about $20 million, which is -24% from Friday.

With a debut like this, Cregger’s R-rated Resident Evil could surpass a whopping $60 million over the opening weekend, which Sony currently estimates at $ 53- $ 55 million (via Deadline). Made on a $75 million budget, the Resident Evil reboot surpassed Afterlife‘s $26.65 million opening (via The Numbers) in just one day. It has achieved a CinemaScore B+, which is the best among all the other Resident Evil movies.

At the same time, this movie marks the biggest opening in Zach Cregger’s career, surpassing his previous hit, Weapons, which had a $43.5 million (via Box Office Mojo) opening weekend.

Zach Cregger’s Reboot Earns Best Critics Score for Resident Evil Franchise

Austin Abrams in Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil | Credit: Sony Pictures

Not just at the box office, Cregger’s Resident Evil seems to be winning over critics as well. The movie is posting the best scores on Rotten Tomatoes for the franchise. It has earned a 95% on the Tomatometer, which is the critics’ score, while 91% on the Popcornmeter, which is the audience score. The Wall Street Journal has applauded Cregger for making “perhaps the greatest tentacle-based horror show of all time.” FandomWire’s vey own Cole Groth described it as an “uncompromising, terrifying horror film.”

Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a late-night medical courier who finds himself in the middle of a viral outbreak in Raccoon City. Zach Cregger also wrote the screenplay along with Shay Hatten.

Resident Evil Eyes Franchise’s Best Box Office

Austin Abrams in Resident Evil | Credit: Sony Pictures

Some die-hard Resident Evil players were not so sure about Cregger’s adaptation, especially because many movies in the franchise have already failed to win big at the box office. However, the director has truly surpassed expectations. The opening alone could beat almost all of Resident Evil‘s final domestic records, including the first film’s total of $40.1 million, 2012’s Retribution‘s $42.3 million, 2016’s Final Chapter‘s $26.8 million, 2021’s Welcome to Raccoon City‘s $17 million, and likely 2004’s Apocalypse ($50.1 million) and Extinction ($50.6 million), according to The Numbers.

If Cregger’s film continues strong post-opening legs, it could set a new worldwide box office record for the franchise.