Resident Evil bites back: Zach Cregger’s horror reboot tops box office with franchise-best $60 million debut

Raccoon City just had a very busy weekend. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opened to an estimated $60 million from 3,684 theatres across the US and Canada, according to studio estimates reported Sunday by the Associated Press.

That gives the horror franchise its biggest domestic opening yet and marks a career best for Cregger, whose previous films include Weapons and Barbarian. The new release has already earned more in its opening weekend than almost every previous Resident Evil film made during its entire domestic run.

There have been seven films in the franchise since 2002. The only one to finish its domestic run above the new film’s opening haul was 2010’s Resident Evil: Afterlife, which ended with $60.1 million, without adjusting for inflation.

A courier, a long night and a lot of infected creatures

Austin Abrams, who also appeared in Weapons, stars as a medical courier whose final delivery of the night takes him into a battle with infected creatures in Raccoon City.

Critics have embraced the film, which currently holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have been a little more reserved, giving it a B+ CinemaScore.

According to Associated Press, exit polling showed that the opening-night crowd skewed male, with men making up 66% of the audience. Viewers under 35 accounted for 75% of ticket buyers.

Cregger is giving horror a box-office boost

Horror films often rely heavily on their opening weekends, with audiences dropping off quickly in subsequent weeks. Cregger’s track record, however, has been somewhat different.

His 2022 horror film Barbarian earned more than $46 million worldwide on a reported budget of less than $5 million, while Weapons went on to make around $270 million against a $38 million budget.

The money picture

Resident Evil reportedly cost $75 million to produce, before marketing and promotion. It added another $48.3 million internationally, taking its global opening to $108.3 million.

Horror has also had a strong year overall. Domestic box-office figures show the genre has generated more than $1.1 billion in 2026, helped by releases including Obsession and Backrooms.

Down the chart

Practical Magic 2 landed in second place with $12.2 million from 4,163 North American theatres, down around 59% from its opening weekend. An additional $7 million from overseas markets brought its global total to $76.8 million.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day came in third with $6.5 million in its eighth weekend, taking its domestic total to $944.5 million.

The Odyssey added $4.9 million in its 10th weekend for fourth place, while Coyote vs. Acme rounded out the top five with $4.5 million.

The small-screen standout

One of the weekend’s more unusual box-office stories came from a limited release. The History of Concrete, a documentary from comedian John Wilson, earned $90,000 from a single screen at New York’s IFC Center.

That was enough to make it the venue’s second-highest single-weekend gross, behind Parasite, which took in $119,407.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

Final domestic figures are due Monday. The estimated Friday-through-Sunday ticket sales at US and Canadian theatres were:

1. Resident Evil — $60 million

2. Practical Magic 2 — $12.2 million

3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $6.5 million

4. The Odyssey — $4.9 million

5. Coyote vs. Acme — $4.5 million

6. Runner — $3.2 million

7. Daniel and the Fiery Furnace — $3.1 million

8. Transformers: The Movie (40th anniversary re-release) — $3.1 million

9. The Weight — $2.3 million

10. Buddy — $1.9 million

With inputs from Associated Press