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Resident Evil Scores Franchise-Best $60 Million Opening

Strong reviews, a young male-skewing audience with robust previews boosted ticket sales past projections, improving profitability as well as sequel prospects.

Overview

  • The Zach Cregger–directed reboot earned an estimated $60 million in North America and $108.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend, according to studio and Rentrak estimates.
  • The film played in about 3,684 U.S. and Canadian theaters, outpacing pre-release tracking that had forecast a $40–50 million debut.
  • Early audience and critical metrics were unusually positive for a horror remake, with a mid-90s Rotten Tomatoes score, a B+ CinemaScore and PostTrak showing 66% male and 75% under-35 attendance.
  • Reported production costs near $75 million (excluding marketing) mean the strong opening and $48.3 million international start give the film a clear path toward profitability and make follow-ups more likely.
  • Cregger’s growing commercial reputation and the movie’s original lead character, played by Austin Abrams, are credited by analysts with renewing fan interest and reversing the franchise’s earlier slump.