Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot is tracking to open between $40 million and $60 million domestically this weekend, a potential franchise record when it reaches US and UK cinemas together on September 18.
TL;DR
- Domestic tracking has climbed from $35 million to as high as $60 million in under two weeks.
- Reviews are the best the 24-year-old franchise has ever received.
- A strong number would beat Cregger's own Weapons opening and the series' prior record.
- UK audiences get the film day-and-date with the US, on September 18.
The tracking keeps climbing, fast
Two weeks before release, Deadline reported Resident Evil had hit tracking with an eye toward a $35 million opening. The outlet noted early ticket sales already looked strong enough to push that number higher.
That floor has since moved. By mid-September, independent forecaster Box Office Theory raised its range to $45 million–$60 million, its second increase in as many weeks, and said the film was on pace to beat Cregger's own Weapons launch.
$45M–$60M Domestic opening weekend forecast, mid-September Source: Box Office Theory
Some trackers are more bullish still. Global Box Office said on X that strong pre-sales pointed to a historic franchise debut, forecasting a domestic start above $60 million and a worldwide total well past $100 million.
How it stacks up against Weapons
Cregger's last film, Weapons, opened to $43 million domestically before finishing with $270 million worldwide against a $38 million budget, and it later earned star Amy Madigan an Academy Award. Resident Evil reunites him with Weapons actor Austin Abrams, who plays a medical courier who stumbles into a viral outbreak in Raccoon City.
$43M → $270M Weapons' opening weekend to eventual worldwide total Source: Deadline
Sony reportedly spent $75 million on the new film, according to Variety, nearly double the Weapons budget. That is a sizeable bet on a filmmaker who has now delivered two straight hits.
Franchise reboots do not always land, even with a hot director attached. Fans of the Happy Death Day series are still waiting on a third film years after Christopher Landon and Jessica Rothe first said they had cracked the story.
Reviews are doing the heavy lifting
Resident Evil sat at 97 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes after 62 critic reviews, according to Box Office Theory, a figure the franchise has never come close to before. Variety's Owen Gleiberman said the film was "different, and much better, than the other 'Resident Evil' movies."
The film held its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin on September 17, one night ahead of its wide release. It is also joined at the festival, coincidentally, by horror label Pluto Film's Fantastic Fest premiere of Agata Trzebuchowska's directorial debut, Sick.
Supporting players Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry and Kali Reis round out the cast as Umbrella Corporation scientists caught up in the outbreak.
The UK gets it day-and-date
British horror fans are not waiting this time. Resident Evil opens in UK cinemas on September 18, the same day as the US, according to Flicks. The BBFC lists the film with content descriptors for strong bloody violence, gore, horror and language, in line with the US R rating.
What could still cap the number
Big tracking numbers do not always hold. Deadline noted Resident Evil currently trails this summer's Mortal Kombat II by 23 percent in first-choice audience interest. Mortal Kombat II was itself tracking toward $50 million in the spring before opening to $38.5 million.
Whether word of mouth carries Resident Evil past the higher end of its range, or it settles closer to its original $35 million floor, will not be clear until ticket sales are counted this weekend.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed September 17, 2026.
