Resident Evil bites back: Zach Cregger’s horror reboot tops box office with franchise-best $60 million debut

Raccoon City experienced a busy weekend as Zach Cregger's Resident Evil opened with an estimated $60 million from 3,684 theaters in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates. This marks the franchise's biggest domestic opening and a career best for Cregger, known for films like Weapons and Barbarian. The new release has already surpassed the opening haul of any previous Resident Evil film in the US, with only 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife surpassing it with $60.1 million, adjusting for inflation.

The horror franchise has earned $108.3 million in its opening weekend globally, including $48.3 million internationally. Austin Abrams stars as a medical courier battling infected creatures in Raccoon City. Critics have praised the film, which holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore. The opening-night crowd skewed male, with 66% of the audience being men and 75% being under 35.

Horror films often rely on strong opening weekends, but Cregger's previous works have shown a different pattern. His 2022 horror film Barbarian earned over $46 million worldwide on a budget of less than $5 million, while Weapons made around $270 million on a $38 million budget.