Resident Evil Opens to Record $108.3M Worldwide — SkimNews
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- Resident Evil opened to $108.3M worldwide, the best start in the franchise's history and director Zach Cregger's biggest debut, surpassing the $70M opening of his previous film Weapons.
- The opening alone exceeds the lifetime global gross of the 2002 original ($102.9M) and more than doubles 2021's failed reboot Welcome to Raccoon City ($41.9M final).
- 2016's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter remains the franchise's top earner at $312M worldwide, with 51% — or $159.5M — coming from China.
- International markets drove $48.3M of the opening, the best horror international debut year-to-date, beating Backrooms ($36.6M), running 66% ahead of Weapons, and 33% ahead of A Quiet Place: Day One.
- The UK led international territories at $5.8M (vs. Afterlife's $2.5M), followed by Mexico at $5.6M, Germany at $2.5M, and France at $2.6M.
- Roughly 13% of foreign markets remain unreleased, including Japan (Oct. 9), Thailand (Sept. 24), and China (still to be dated) — a critical swing factor given the franchise's historical reliance on the Middle Kingdom.
Why it matters: This debut proves the video game horror reboot can expand beyond the Milla Jovovich-era audience, delivering Cregger's biggest opening as a filmmaker. The franchise's previous high-water mark (Final Chapter at $312M) drew 51% of its gross from China, and this installment has yet to secure a Chinese release date — making the unannounced China debut the single largest swing factor on whether the reboot climbs toward or surpasses that record.
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