Resident Evil Sets Franchise Record With China Debut

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Sony's Resident Evil reboot has become the highest-grossing film in the video game franchise's history after a strong opening in China sent it back to the top of the worldwide box office. Directed by Zach Cregger, the film earned an estimated $62.6 million globally over the October 9-11 weekend, including about $40.6 million from its Chinese debut, according to Screen Daily. The weekend lifted its worldwide total to about $320.2 million, eclipsing the $312.2 million earned by 2016's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and making it the top title in the eight-film series. China powers the record China has long been vital to the franchise. The Final Chapter reached its total thanks to $159.5 million from China, more than half of its global gross. The new film's $40.6 million opening there was the best for a horror film in China in the past two years, Screen reported, with Imax screens contributing $7.7 million. The film also opened in Japan, the home of the original Capcom video games, with an estimated $3.5 million. Market by market North America remains the film's biggest territory, with about $138.5 million so far. Behind China among international markets come the UK and Ireland ($17 million to date), Mexico ($11.8 million), Australia ($8.5 million), Germany ($7.3 million) and Spain ($7.1 million). The film is currently playing in 68 territories. A career best for Zach Cregger The result also sets a new personal record for Cregger. Resident Evil has now beaten his previous film, Weapons, which made $270.1 million worldwide for Warner Bros last year. Screen noted that its comparisons are not adjusted for inflation. Cregger began his career in comedy as a member of the sketch group The Whitest Kids U' Know before reinventing himself as a horror filmmaker. His 2022 debut Barbarian became a surprise hit, and Weapons confirmed him as one of the genre's most bankable directors. Taking on a long-running game series was a big test, and the box office suggests audiences have embraced his take. The production behind the reboot The film is a TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film and Davis Films production. Constantin and Davis Films were also behind the earlier Paul W.S. Anderson series starring Milla Jovovich, which ran for six films from 2002 to 2016. Sony, the studio behind hits such as Spider-Man: Homecoming , is distributing. For Sony, the success is welcome on a weekend when its other new release, Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning, opened to a disappointing $9 million worldwide. How the rest of the chart looked Universal's horror film Other Mommy took second place globally with about $45.1 million, ahead of Amazon MGM's Verity ($30 million) and Paramount's Heart of the Beast ($21 million). India's Drishyam - The Conclusion was fifth, while Warner Bros' Digger, which Entzopedia covered in our Tom Cruise box office report , was sixth with $9.6 million. Disney's re-release Avengers: Endgame Encore from The Walt Disney Company dropped out of the global top ten. In Nigeria, Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains the country's highest-grossing box office title with a cumulative N2.378 billion, according to BusinessDay, even as Nollywood's Agbara Nla: The Return led the local weekend chart. Why video game films are booming The record comes during a strong period for video game adaptations, as studios mine famous game brands for ready-made audiences. Resident Evil, first released by Capcom in 1996, helped define the survival horror genre, and its mix of zombies, corporate conspiracy and claustrophobic tension translates naturally to the big screen. A fresh creative voice like Cregger appears to have given the brand a second life with cinemagoers. What's next With China and Japan now open, Resident Evil has fewer big markets left to launch, so its growth will depend on how well it holds. Even so, a reboot that has already outgrossed every previous entry is likely to push Sony and its partners towards a sequel. Any announcement on a follow-up, and whether Cregger returns, will be closely watched by fans of the games and the films. Sources: Screen Daily | BusinessDay