The new Resident Evil reboot didn't just beat expectations over the weekend, it completely blew them out of the water.
Early estimates had the film headed for a modest $80 million global debut, split evenly between domestic and international markets.
Instead, the $75 million production pulled in a massive $60 million at the domestic box office and added another $48.3 million overseas, pushing its worldwide total to a staggering $108.3 million.
To put those numbers in perspective, the film earned more in its first three days domestically than any single movie in the Milla Jovovich era made during its entire theater run.
It's a huge win for director Zach Cregger, marking the biggest domestic opening of his career and easily topping Weapons.
On top of that, it now holds the crown for both the biggest domestic launch in Resident Evil franchise history and the highest-grossing debut ever for an R-rated video game adaptation.
Toss in the fact that it's currently 2026's best-reviewed horror flick on Rotten Tomatoes, and Capcom might want to hand Cregger the keys to the entire universe...if they can convince him to return after some intense fan scrutiny.
Much online discourse has been had in recent weeks about Cregger's film and the fact that it took some liberties with the source material's setting and timeline.
The fan backlash seemed to have put Cregger off the idea of wanting to make a sequel, but at a recent early fan screening prior to release, he seemed a little more open to the idea, stating that the box office would influence his decision on whether he made a sequel.
"I can’t help thinking about other places this story could go. I’ve got ideas, but this movie hasn’t even come out yet. Let’s see what happens," he stated.
Well, it's clear that the film is a box office winner; now we'll await news on the inevitable sequel and whether Cregger will be in the director's chair for Sony or some other young, up-and-coming director.
Cregger is reportedly going to make a sci-fi space film, The Flood, next with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Pictures, but after that, his dance card seems to be pretty open.
From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling — and terrifying — reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.
From Columbia Pictures and Constantin Film, in association with TriStar Pictures, Resident Evil hits theatres September 18, 2026.
The cast includes Abrams (Weapons, Whalefall), Zach Cherry (Severance, Fallout), Kali Reis (True Detective, Mercy) and Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird, Richard Jewell).
This film is rated R by The Motion Picture Association for the following reasons: strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout.