Overview
- The film opened in U.S. theaters on Friday, September 18, earning about $26.3 million on its first day and sitting on a roughly $50–60 million opening‑weekend pace.
- Critics have broadly praised the reboot, which set a new high for Rotten Tomatoes scores among video‑game adaptations and drew consistent applause for Austin Abrams’s central performance.
- Director Zach Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten tell an original story set alongside the timeline of Resident Evil 2 rather than centering legacy game protagonists, a decision that has drawn vocal fan criticism.
- Reviewers highlighted the movie’s attempt to translate survival‑horror game mechanics to film through tracking camera work, tight resource-driven pacing, and heavy use of practical creature effects.
- The film’s strong early box office and divisive creative choices have put focus on whether Sony and Capcom will greenlight sequels that build more directly on game lore.