Movies

Resident Evil tops box office with best-ever franchise debut

AP 21st September, 2026 03:16 AM

Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ has topped the North American box office in its opening weekend, earning $60 million (Ksh7.8 billion) in ticket sales from 3,684 locations across the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates.

The Sony Pictures release recorded the biggest opening in the video game-inspired franchise, which has produced seven previous films dating back to 2002.

The opening also marked the biggest debut for Cregger, who previously directed ‘Weapons’ and ‘Barbarian’.

‘Resident Evil’ leads Box Office

‘Resident Evil’ stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier whose final job of the night takes him into Raccoon City, where he battles infected creatures.

The film has received largely positive reviews and currently holds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

According to PostTrak exit polls, the audience was 66% male, while 75% were under the age of 35. The movie received a B+ CinemaScore.

Cregger’s previous horror films have also performed strongly at the box office. ‘Barbarian’ grossed more than $46 million (Ksh5.98 billion) on a budget of less than $5 million (Ksh650 million), while ‘Weapons’ made $270 million (Ksh35.1 billion) against a reported $38 million (Ksh4.94 billion) budget.

Strong global opening

‘Resident Evil’ reportedly cost $75 million (Ksh9.75 billion) to produce, excluding marketing and promotional expenses.

The film added $48.3 million (Ksh6.28 billion) from international markets, taking its global opening to $108.3 million (Ksh14.08 billion).

A scene from Runner. PHOTO/@flickeringmyth/X

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, said Cregger’s name and the strength of the franchise contributed to the film’s performance.

“Zach Cregger plus big franchise equals big bucks,” Dergarabedian said, adding that the filmmaker made the movie feel “fresh and new.”