Did you catch the new Resident Evil movie in theaters yet? Zach Cregger's take on the iconic franchise officially hit theaters on September 18, but it actually kicked off with Thursday night previews—and those previews were massive. The film pulled in $9 million or more in the US alone, according to Deadline. That's a record for the series, easily beating the previous best of $1 million set by 2016's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. No other Resident Evil movie had ever cracked $1 million in Thursday previews.
So, what does this mean for the weekend? Experts are predicting a $40 million to $50 million domestic debut, but those numbers could climb even higher. To put that in perspective, Cregger's last film, Weapons, made $5.75 million in previews and went on to earn $43.5 million in its opening weekend. Resident Evil is already pacing well ahead of that.
The movie reportedly cost $75 million to make, though that doesn't include marketing. And while these numbers come from Deadline's distribution sources rather than official studio figures, they're still a strong sign that audiences are hyped. The film is also getting rave reviews—GameSpot gave it an 8/10, and it's now the highest-rated video game adaptation ever. Not bad for a movie that doesn't feature any characters or stories from the games.
Director Zach Cregger has said he has ideas for more Resident Evil movies, but he's also mentioned he's done with franchise films. He even admitted he didn't fully appreciate how much hardcore fans of the games would reject his idea for a movie that doesn't feature any characters or stories from the games. Despite that, the box office numbers suggest plenty of people are still eager to see his vision.
With such a strong start, it'll be interesting to see if the movie can keep up the momentum. Will you be checking it out this weekend? What do you think about a Resident Evil movie that ignores the games' characters? Let us know in the comments!
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