New 'Resident Evil' Opened to $108 Million. The Original Made Less in Total.

Zach Cregger's Sony reboot took $60 million domestically and $48.3 million overseas in its first three days.

Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" reboot grossed $108.3 million worldwide over its opening weekend, more than the 2002 original made in its whole theatrical run. IndieWire reported the split as $60 million from domestic theaters and $48.3 million from international markets.

The companies collecting that money bought early. Sony's TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film and Davis Film hired Cregger after "Barbarian" opened and before "Weapons" came out, the outlet reported — a window when he looked promising and didn't yet cost what he costs now.

The reboot carries a reported $75 million budget.

Here's the part the raw comparison flatters. The 2002 "Resident Evil" ended its run at just under $103 million worldwide, and adjusted for inflation that total still beats the reboot's three-day debut, IndieWire noted. The new film's domestic $60 million, on its own, is nowhere near the original's lifetime worldwide number.

Cregger's record is why $108.3 million reads as a coronation rather than a fluke. "Barbarian" took $46.2 million against a reported $4.5 million budget. "Weapons" grossed $270 million on a reported $38 million, and Amy Madigan won an Oscar for her performance as Aunt Gladys; a prequel is in the works.

The franchise itself had been flat. 2021's "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" made $42 million against a reported $25 million budget, and because exhibitors keep roughly half of every ticket, IndieWire noted, that isn't a film that paid for itself. Netflix canceled its "Resident Evil" series in 2022.

Vulture placed Cregger 17th in its ranking of the most powerful directors, built on "Barbarian" and "Weapons" alone, the outlet reported. Brent Lang, who wrote IndieWire's account, expects him to climb, and expects his asking price to climb with him.

Lang also put Cregger among the small group of directors who can get a film greenlit "on his name alone," and called another "Resident Evil" inevitable. The number that tests both claims is the second weekend.

Source: indiewire.com, retrieved September 22, 2026.