Who would have bet on a hit like this? The new Resident Evil directed by Zach Cregger has just crossed the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office. An impressive result for this fresh adaptation of Capcom's game, which now stands as the biggest commercial success the franchise has ever had on the big screen. The film dethrones Resident Evil The Final Chapter, released in 2016, which ended its run on $312 million. And that isn't the only record Zach Cregger gets to celebrate, since the director has also landed the biggest hit of his career.
Looking at the detail, the feature has taken $157.4 million in North America (US + Canada) and $242.6 million internationally, for a precise total of $400 million worldwide. Its opening had already set the tone back in September, with $60 million collected in the US and $108 million globally in its first weekend. Buoyed by strong reviews and favourable word of mouth, the film managed to hold on to its audience throughout October, a period that is, admittedly, particularly kind to horror productions.
Thanks, China
Overseas, China is by far its biggest market with $71.4 million, ahead of the UK on $19.4 million and then Mexico with $12.7 million. The result allows this new version to wipe away memories of the franchise's previous reboot, Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City. Released in 2021, that one managed only $42 million worldwide against an estimated $25 million budget. Five years on, Sony seems to have found the right person to relaunch the saga in Zach Cregger, previously known for Barbarian and Weapons. His Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier caught up in a viral outbreak in Raccoon City. The director chose to build an entirely new story, well away from the franchise's iconic characters, which earned him a fair bit of fan criticism ahead of release. An approach that appears to have found its audience, including beyond devotees of the Capcom licence. With $400 million in takings, Resident Evil comfortably beats the performance of Barbarian, which made $46 million, and even that of Weapons, which reached $270 million worldwide.
The result is all the more interesting given that Sony reportedly invested $75 million in the production. Even factoring in distribution and marketing costs, the film should prove a particularly profitable venture for the studio. After the success of Spider-Man Brand New Day this summer, Sony Pictures has another box-office smash on its hands with Resident Evil, at a time when its two following releases, The Social Reckoning and Klara and the Sun, have had a far rougher ride. Hey, you can't win them all...
