Zach Cregger’s R-rated Resident Evil has already reset the franchise’s box office baseline. Early distribution estimates put Thursday previews at $8M-$9M, a wide margin above the property’s previous high and an immediate signal that this is not another routine video game adaptation.
Previews began at 2 p.m. stateside. The numbers come from distribution sources rather than Sony, so they may shift slightly, but the direction is clear.
What the previews change
Going into the weekend, the Sony/Constantin release was projected at $40M-$50M. Some ticket-sales researchers now think the film has a path above $50M. That would make it the biggest domestic opening in franchise history; the previous record belonged to Resident Evil: Afterlife at $26.6M.
The previous franchise preview record was Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’s $1M in 2016. The new number is effectively eight to nine times that total. That gap matters because it implies the reboot is pulling demand beyond the old Milla Jovovich fan base.
Rotten Tomatoes signals support the idea. Critics are at 96% Certified Fresh and the audience score is 91%. The previous best franchise audience score was the original 2002 film at 67%.
Preview comps and the front-loading question
Previews are only one part of the weekend equation. For buyers and planners, the key number is Saturday’s hold. Horror can be heavily front-loaded, and this Resident Evil is a different iteration from the earlier series. Tracking sources cautioned against directly comparing it to Scream 7 because that film had the return of Neve Campbell and a different fan dynamic.
Recent video game and genre comps from the source:
- Weapons: $5.75M previews, $43.5M opening
- Scream 7: $7.8M previews, $63.6M opening
- Mortal Kombat 2: $5.2M previews, $38.5M opening
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3: $6.5M previews, $60.1M opening
If Resident Evil lands on the higher end of that preview-to-weekend range, the opening could blow past the current $50M conversation. The franchise’s own Saturday history is mixed but not discouraging: The Final Chapter held plus 1.4% from Friday, the 2002 original plus 1%, and Afterlife minus 9%.
Why this matters for the screen business
For entertainment marketers and media planners, this is a test case in repositioning a well-worn IP. Cregger’s version was built as a more faithful adaptation of the games, and the critical/audience alignment suggests the campaign has converted skepticism into interest. The $75M net production is also playing in PLFs and Imax, though Imax’s 70MM footprint is still partly occupied by The Odyssey in about 35 auditoriums. That premium-format availability will shape the weekend gross, not just the raw preview number.
The next data point is Saturday. If the hold is stable, the industry may need to raise its model for R-rated video game adaptations.
Source: Deadline
