Resident Evil storms to $26.3M Friday, eyes record $55M opening
Sony's Resident Evil reboot earned $26.3 million domestically, the United States and Canada, on Friday, 18 September across 3,684 theatres, Sony reported, as covered by Variety.
It led the field. The film was the No. 1 new release on Friday, according to the same Variety report published on Saturday, 19 September 2026.
Sony now expects around $55 million for the three-day opening weekend through Sunday, 20 September, Variety reported. That figure is a studio estimate until Monday's actuals confirm the total. Sony itself is calling the start at $53 million to $55 million, as reported by Deadline, with trade projections in the same report pointing to $53 million to $60 million.
That is a record pace. A $55 million opening would be the largest debut in Resident Evil franchise history, Variety reported. The previous high was 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife, which opened to $26 million over its weekend, according to the same Variety report.
The reboot was already running hot before Friday. It earned $8.8 million in previews, evening shows held before the official opening day, as reported by Variety. That preview total is the biggest ever for the Resident Evil series, according to the same Variety report.
The film was directed by Zach Cregger and is based on Capcom's horror video games, Variety reported. Cregger directed Weapons before taking on Resident Evil, according to Variety. Austin Abrams leads the cast, Variety reported, playing a medical courier, according to Variety.
For context on the series, Resident Evil: Afterlife finished its run with $60,128,566 domestically, according to Box Office Mojo. Resident Evil: Apocalypse closed with $51,201,453 domestically, the same Box Office Mojo listing shows.
What makes this stand out is the scale of the reset. For fans, this means a new cast and a new starting point organised around the games could open close to what a prior entry earned in its entire domestic run.
