Resident Evil stormed the box office in its opening weekend, far exceeding early expectations. The reboot also set a new franchise record, an unusual achievement for the eighth installment of a long-running horror series.
Writer-director Zach Cregger’s adaptation of the horror-survival video game franchise grossed $60 million during its three-day domestic debut. The result easily placed the film at No. 1 on the North American box office chart.
Resident Evil Blows Past Expectations
Sony Pictures initially projected an opening of about $40 million. By Saturday, the studio had raised expectations to between $53 million and $55 million, but the film still finished ahead of those estimates.
Resident Evil opened in 3,684 North American theaters and carries a $75 million production budget. Audiences gave the movie a B+ CinemaScore, with younger male moviegoers making up much of its opening-weekend audience.
The film delivered the biggest opening in the history of the Resident Evil movie franchise. Director Paul W.S. Anderson launched the series with the original film in 2002.
The new movie nearly matched the entire domestic run of the franchise’s previous top performer in just one weekend. Resident Evil: Afterlife earned $60.1 million during its full North American theatrical run, according to Rentrak.
Milla Jovovich starred in the original film and its five sequels. The franchise later returned with the 2021 reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, which underperformed at the box office.
Collectively, previous Resident Evil movies have earned more than $1.2 billion worldwide. The new reboot is now positioned to add significantly to that total.
Younger Audiences Drive the Opening
Men accounted for 65 percent of the domestic audience for the new Resident Evil. Moviegoers under age 35 represented 74 percent of ticket buyers.
The film also found a strong international audience. It earned another $43.8 million across 62 overseas markets during its opening.
Could a Resident Evil Sequel Be Next?
The strong debut immediately raises questions about another installment. Cregger already has several projects ahead of him, including The Flood and a prequel centered on Gladys, the breakout character from Weapons.
Cregger has also acknowledged that he sees opportunities to continue exploring the Resident Evil story. “I can’t help thinking about other places this story could go,” he told The Playlist before the film’s release when asked whether he might remain involved with the franchise.
The opening continues an impressive run for Cregger. Resident Evil now stands as the biggest debut of his career.
His previous film, the Oscar-winning Weapons, opened to $43.5 million in August 2025. Warner Bros. released that film.
TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film and Davis Film produced Resident Evil. The movie stars Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser.
Abrams plays a medical courier attempting to deliver a valuable item during a deadly viral outbreak in Raccoon City. The story returns the franchise to the survival-horror setting that has defined the property.
Practical Magic 2 Holds Second Place
Warner Bros.’ Practical Magic 2 landed in second place during its second weekend. The sequel is expected to collect about $12.2 million, bringing its domestic total to roughly $50 million.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return for the follow-up to the 1998 original. The sequel is projected to decline about 59 percent from its opening weekend.
Even with that drop, Practical Magic 2 has already surpassed the North American total of the first movie. The original Practical Magic finished its domestic run with $46.7 million.
Spider-Man Continues Record-Setting Run
Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day moved into third place with $6.5 million during its eighth weekend. The Tom Holland-led Marvel Studios blockbuster had spent its first six weekends at No. 1.
The film recently reached the top of the all-time domestic box office chart. Its North American total is expected to climb to approximately $944.5 million.
One major question remains for the superhero blockbuster. Brand New Day could potentially become the first movie to reach $1 billion at the domestic box office.
The Odyssey Remains Strong in Tenth Weekend
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey continued its theatrical run with an estimated $4.9 million in fourth place. The film is now in its 10th weekend of release.
The Universal release has reached $609.7 million domestically. It has also become the highest-grossing film in Universal’s history.
Coyote vs. Acme Rounds Out the Top Five
Coyote vs. Acme finished fifth with $4.3 million during its fourth domestic weekend. The Ketchup Entertainment release has now earned approximately $54.6 million in North America.
The Looney Tunes feature continues to attract family audiences after an uncertain path to theaters. Warner Bros. Discovery had previously considered shelving the movie as a tax write-off before the film was ultimately rescued and released.
The top 12 movies of the weekend, as of Sunday, September 20, are as follows.
| # | Title | Distributor Name | Weekend Total | # of Locs | Loc Avg | Cume Total | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil | Sony | $60,000,000 | 60,000,000 | 16,287 | $60,000,000 | |
| 2 | Practical Magic 2 | Warner Bros. | $12,155,000 | 12,155,000 | 2,920 | $50,032,000 | -59% |
| 3 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Sony | $6,500,000 | 6,500,000 | 2,154 | 944,502,000 | -23% |
| 4 | Odyssey, The | Universal | $4,900,000 | 4,900,000 | $3,169 | 609,758,000 | -35% |
| 5 | Coyote vs. Acme | Falling Forward Films | $4,512,135 | 4,512,135 | 1,487 | $54,816,201 | -30% |
| 6 | Runner | Angel Studios | $3,180,074 | 3,180,074 | 1,286 | 11,986,902 | -51% |
| 7 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | Emick | $3,140,000 | 3,140,000 | 2,059 | 3,140,000 | |
| 8 | Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary, The | Fathom Entertainment | $3,103,922 | 3,103,922 | 2,135 | 4,156,531 | |
| 9 | Weight, The | Vertical | $2,315,162 | 2,315,162 | $1,539 | 2,315,162 | |
| 10 | Buddy | Roadside Attractions | $1,929,101 | 1,929,101 | 1,259 | 24,833,065 | -47% |
| 11 | Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | GKIDS | $1,904,000 | 1,904,000 | $872 | 1,904,000 | |
| 12 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Sony | $1,850,000 | 1,850,000 | 1,063 | 63,755,000 | -46% |
