Resident Evil reboot opens with original Raccoon City story

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot is now playing in cinemas.

Sony Pictures lists the film as "Exclusively in Movie Theatres September 18" on its movies index, and the release lines up with 18 September 2026, Sony Pictures. The film was directed by Cregger, according to Variety.

It is a fresh start. The story is fully original and stands separate from the games, though it keeps two fixtures fans will know: Raccoon City, the doomed town where much of the series unfolds, and the Umbrella Corporation, the secretive company behind the outbreak, Variety.

Austin Abrams leads the cast as Bryan, a medical courier caught in the crisis. He is the audience entry point, an ordinary worker pulled into extraordinary danger.

The film adapts Capcom's long-running video game series, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Resident Evil is a series of survival-horror games, a genre built around staying alive with limited resources, Capcom. In the games, players use weapons and other items to escape from desperate situations.

Cregger introduced footage at CinemaCon in April, presenting the trailer to cinema owners gathered in Las Vegas, The Hollywood Reporter. That early look described a story centred on an elite task force battling zombies.

For fans, this means two things to watch for. Variety has published a breakdown of video game references and Easter eggs, the small hidden nods and familiar names tucked into sets, dialogue and props, Variety. Newcomers can follow Bryan's run through Raccoon City cold. Long-time players get the extra layer.