Sony’s Resident Evil reboot opened to $60 million in North America this weekend, the biggest opening in the franchise’s history and the best start ever for director Zach Cregger, according to Deadline and Variety. Friday alone brought in $26.3 million, more than the entire domestic run of the last entry, 2021’s Welcome to Raccoon City.
The R-rated reboot stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier whose rush delivery to Raccoon General Hospital drives him straight into the outbreak. Cregger, the director of Barbarian and Weapons, strips the series back to one ordinary guy in the wrong city at the worst time. Audiences agreed with the critics on this one: it earned the franchise’s best CinemaScore ever at B+ and sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, the best of Cregger’s career.
Our review scored it 8/10 for turning a video game franchise into a genuinely scary night at the movies. It is playing in theaters everywhere now, and with word of mouth this strong the box office run is just getting started.