Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil could make a major impact at the box office. The upcoming horror movie is projected to earn more than $35 million during its opening weekend, according to Deadline. If the estimate holds, the reboot could deliver the franchise’s biggest domestic debut.
Resident Evil is directed by Cregger and co-written with Shay Hatten. It stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who gets caught in a deadly outbreak in Raccoon City. The Sony Pictures reboot is scheduled to hit theaters on September 18, 2026.
What’s driving Resident Evil’s strong early tracking?
The current projection would easily beat the franchise’s existing domestic opening record. Resident Evil: Afterlife set the record with a $26.7 million opening in 2010. A $35 million-plus debut would therefore give Cregger’s film a significant lead over the previous record.
The filmmaker’s recent success in the horror genre could be one reason for the strong early interest. He previously directed Barbarian and Weapons, with the latter opening to $43.5 million domestically and becoming a major theatrical success. His growing reputation has helped make the new Resident Evil one of the more closely watched horror releases of the year.
Instead of adapting one of the games, Resident Evil tells an original story in the franchise. Bryan is an ordinary medical courier who is suddenly forced to survive a night of chaos in Raccoon City. This allows the film to introduce new characters while keeping the familiar horror elements from the games. That includes creatures, locations, weapons, and gameplay-inspired mechanics. Creggar has drawn inspiration from games including Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7.
Early audience tracking has also been encouraging. The Quorum’s eight-week tracking chart shows the film at 51% awareness and 52% interest, suggesting the reboot is generating attention ahead of its theatrical release.
With its current tracking already pointing toward a franchise-best debut, Resident Evil has a clear opportunity to give the series its biggest opening yet.
