Resident Evil opens with franchise-best tracking and top reviews

A reboot arrives with unusually strong numbers behind it

Sony's R-rated "Resident Evil" reboot, directed by Zach Cregger, opens in North American theaters today, Friday, September 18, 2026. Austin Abrams leads the cast.

Thursday preview grosses were reported in some tracking at $8 million to $9 million. The film is projected for a domestic opening of $40 million to $50 million or more, which would potentially set a franchise record, against a production budget of about $75 million.

Those figures come from tracking and projections reported by Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. They are not official studio numbers, and the actual opening will not be known until weekend estimates are reported.

The reviews are the real story

The more unusual element is critical. Reviewers have called the film the highest-rated video-game movie ever, with a mid-90s Rotten Tomatoes score in early counts and some counts placing it in the high 90s.

Early Rotten Tomatoes scores move as more reviews are added, and a number drawn from an initial batch of critics is not a settled figure. But even the conservative end of that range would be an outlier for the category. Video-game adaptations have historically opened to commercial interest and critical indifference, and the gap between the two has been the defining feature of the genre.

A reboot that arrives with both franchise-best tracking and the best reviews in the category's history is closing that gap from both directions at once.

Why Cregger's involvement changed expectations

Cregger previously directed "Barbarian" and "Weapons." Both are horror films built on structural surprise rather than on franchise machinery, and his attachment to a studio-owned video-game property was the first signal that this would not be a conventional adaptation.

That has proved accurate. The film is an original story set in the universe rather than a direct adaptation of the games, and it is described as packed with Easter eggs drawn from them.

It is a specific bet: keep the world, the tone and the references, but do not retell a plot the audience already knows. For a property with a large and detailed canon, that approach frees the film from having to satisfy a plot checklist.

The pushback from within the fanbase

The same decision has drawn some purity-test pushback from fans who wanted a direct adaptation.

That reaction is worth separating from the reviews. Critics are assessing the film as a film; the objection from parts of the fanbase is about fidelity to the games, which is a different standard. Both can be true at once, and in this case they appear to be.

How much that pushback affects the opening is not measurable in advance. Strong reviews and franchise-best previews suggest it has not suppressed early demand.

The weekend it opens into

"Practical Magic 2," starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, held the number one position last weekend with about $30 million domestic and $46 million globally. That result ended the long run at the top for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

That matters for two reasons. The first is competitive: a sequel with about $30 million in its opening frame is a real incumbent, and its second-weekend hold will be tested directly against the new arrival. The second is structural. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" had held the top spot for an extended run before last weekend, and a market that has just changed hands once can change hands again quickly.

If the $40 million to $50 million-plus projection holds, "Resident Evil" would take the weekend comfortably. If it lands at the bottom of that range and "Practical Magic 2" holds well, the gap narrows.

What franchise-best tracking would actually mean

The projection is described as potentially a franchise record, and that framing carries information about where the series has been.

A reboot only sets a franchise opening record if the previous entries left that mark within reach. Tracking in the $40 million to $50 million-plus range clearing the whole history of a long-running property suggests a series that has been commercially durable without ever producing a breakout opening.

That is the pattern the current release is positioned against: reliable interest, never critical respect, and never a record-setting debut. Cregger's version is tracking to change at least two of those three.

Canada and the wider North American window

Canadian theatrical windows for major studio titles generally align with the US release, so the film reaches audiences on both sides of the border on the same day.

That matters for how the weekend is read. Domestic box-office reporting in North America combines the US and Canada into a single figure, so the projected $40 million to $50 million-plus range describes the combined market rather than the US alone. No separate Canadian figures have been reported.

What the $75 million budget implies

A reported production budget of about $75 million puts the film in a middle tier that has become unusual for studio genre releases.

It is well above a low-budget horror model, which means it cannot rely on a modest opening to reach profitability. It is also well below the scale of a tentpole, which means an opening in the projected range would represent a strong start against cost rather than a merely adequate one.

Marketing spend is not included in reported production budgets, and no figure for it has been published, so the full break-even point is not public.

What has not been confirmed

Several things remain unsettled at the time of writing:

• Final Thursday preview and opening-weekend figures are projections and tracking, not official numbers.
• The Rotten Tomatoes score is from early counts and will move as more reviews are filed.
• No international rollout figures have been reported.
• No sequel or franchise plan has been announced.

Weekend estimates, normally reported Sunday, will provide the first official measure.

Frequently asked questions

When does the new Resident Evil movie come out?

Zach Cregger's R-rated "Resident Evil" reboot opens in North American theaters today, Friday, September 18, 2026. Austin Abrams leads the cast. Canadian theatrical windows for major titles generally align with the US release date.

How much is Resident Evil projected to make opening weekend?

Tracking reported by Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety projects a domestic opening of $40 million to $50 million or more, which would potentially be a franchise record. Thursday previews were reported in some tracking at $8 million to $9 million. These are projections, not official figures.

Is the new Resident Evil a direct adaptation of the games?

No. It is an original story set in the universe rather than a retelling of a specific game, and it is described as packed with Easter eggs drawn from the games. That choice has drawn some purity-test pushback from fans who wanted a direct adaptation.

Is Resident Evil the best-reviewed video game movie ever?

Critics have called it the highest-rated video-game movie ever, with a mid-90s Rotten Tomatoes score in early counts and some counts in the high 90s. Early scores shift as more reviews are added, so the final figure is not settled.