Zach Cregger's “Resident Evil” landed roughly $9M in Thursday previews with excellent early audience reaction, and the weekend projection has climbed to $65M — possibly higher. Remember, “Scream 7” converted $7.8M in previews into a $64M opening, “Five Nights at Freddy's 2” turned $7.2M into $64M, and ‘Conjuring 4’ took $8.5M into $84M — all with considerably worse reviews than this one.
The film is setting franchise records on Rotten Tomatoes with a 96% critical score and a 91% audience score, the latter clearing the previous high of 67% held by the 2002 original. On the preview side, the old franchise record was 2016's “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” at just $1M.
That gives Cregger a third consecutive hit after “Barbarian” and “Weapons.” Showings are reportedly packed, with multiple attendees saying they want to go again. It's an R-rated horror film that many are calling the best video game adaptation ever made — a low bar, admittedly, but exactly the kind of claim that pulls in curiosity seekers and gamers.
Zach Cregger's “Resident Evil” landed roughly $9M in Thursday previews with excellent early audience reaction, and the weekend projection has climbed to $65M — possibly higher.