‘Resident Evil’ Officially Doubles Franchise Record in Monster Box Office Debut

As expected, director Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil reboot is shattering projections in its box-office debut, continuing a tremendous year for the horror genre. Cregger's movie builds on the momentum started by the sensational hits Obsession and Backrooms, which grossed a combined total of nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office, against a combined budget of only around $10 million. Cregger himself delivered a sleeper hit in 2022 with Barbarian, which generated nearly $50 million globally. He followed it up with the Oscar-winning Weapons, which grossed $270 million worldwide against a reported budget of less than $40 million. Starring Austin Abrams, Resident Evil is by far his most expensive and high-profile project, given the property's success in the past. It's also poised to become his most successful movie, considering how well it's performing this weekend.

It came as something of a surprise when Cregger, hot off the success of Barbarian, signed on to direct the second reboot of a franchise that had never received positive reviews despite considerable box-office success. Obsession director Curry Barker is following a similar path, having first signed a deal to direct a new original movie for a major studio, and then moving on to an often-rebooted franchise installment in the form of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Cregger's Resident Evil appears to be turning the franchise's fortunes around not only in terms of box-office success — the most recent reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, flopped miserably — but also critical acclaim.