Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” opened with an estimated $60 million, delivering the franchise’s strongest debut and a clear win for Sony Pictures.
The horror film collected that total from 3,684 theaters across the United States and Canada from Friday through Sunday. The figure remained an estimate, with final domestic numbers expected Monday.
The opening matters because “Resident Evil” did more than lead the weekend box office. It surpassed the opening weekends of seven earlier movies in a franchise dating to 2002.
One comparison shows the size of the result. “Resident Evil: Afterlife” earned $60.1 million during its entire domestic run, before any adjustment for inflation. The new movie nearly matched that sum in one weekend.
ABC News carried the Associated Press estimate, which placed “Resident Evil” firmly atop the North American box office.
The film added $48.3 million from international markets. That brought its estimated worldwide opening to $108.3 million against a reported production budget of $75 million. Marketing and promotion costs were not included in that budget figure.
Those numbers do not settle the film’s final profitability. They do show that Sony drew a large opening-weekend audience at home and abroad.
Breitbart noted that the debut exceeded what most earlier installments earned throughout their full domestic runs.
Moviegoers also gave the release a B+ CinemaScore. Rotten Tomatoes listed it at 95% when the weekend estimates appeared.
PostTrak exit polling found that 75% of the audience was under age 35, while 66% was male. The turnout gave the long-running property a notably young audience.
Cregger arrived at “Resident Evil” after two financially successful horror releases. “Barbarian” grossed more than $46 million on a budget below $5 million.
His follow-up, “Weapons,” made $270 million against a $38 million budget. Those results gave Sony a filmmaker with an established audience before the latest franchise release reached theaters.
Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends, told AP News that Cregger had become a draw in his own right.
“Zach Cregger is a household name in the world of horror. There are certain directors who become the star of the movie.”
Dergarabedian offered a shorter explanation for the opening:
“Zach Cregger plus big franchise equals big bucks. And he made it feel fresh and new.”
The film stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier whose final job of the night turns into a battle against infected creatures in Raccoon City.
“Resident Evil” also arrived during a strong year for horror. Rentrak said 2026 releases in the genre had created more than $1.1 billion domestically, including “Obsession” and “Backrooms.”
Other films trailed far behind during the weekend. “Practical Magic 2” earned $12.2 million domestically and $7 million overseas, lifting its worldwide total to $76.8 million.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” brought in $6.5 million during its eighth weekend. Its domestic total reached $944.5 million.
“The Odyssey” followed with $4.9 million in its tenth weekend, while “Coyote vs. Acme” earned $4.5 million.
At the smaller end of the market, John Wilson’s documentary “The History of Concrete” collected $90,000 from one screen at New York’s IFC Center. Only “Parasite,” with $119,407, had earned more there during a single weekend.
Audiences still decide what succeeds, and this weekend they rewarded a familiar franchise that gave them a reason to return.
