‘Resident Evil’ Is Smashing Franchise Records, and China and Japan Haven’t Even Opened Yet

Video game adaptations have a long history of stumbling at the box office. That makes the ‘Resident Evil’ box office story of the fall all the more surprising. Zach Cregger’s reboot has quickly turned a struggling franchise into one of the year’s success stories.

The film arrived on September 18, 2026, from Sony, with Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser in the cast. It was the eighth film in the series, and it followed 2021’s ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City‘, which petered out with $41.9 million worldwide. Expectations were modest.

Sony was tracking a global start near $80 million. Instead, the reboot debuted with an estimated $108.3 million worldwide, made up of $60.0 million in North America and $48.3 million across 62 international markets. That set a franchise record for a single weekend and Cregger’s biggest opening.

The context makes it even more striking. His 2025 hit ‘Weapons’ opened with about $70 million worldwide and finished at $142 million against a $20 million budget. The new film’s opening alone beat the global final of the original 2002 movie, which took in $102.9 million.

Now the second weekend is in. According to Exhibitor Relations, the reboot has reached an estimated $196 million worldwide after only two weekends. It added $27 million internationally across 65 markets, down 45%, bringing its overseas total to $93 million.

That puts the film within striking distance of $200 million, and it has yet to open in two huge territories. China opens October 5, followed by Japan on October 9. Trade reports also note the film was made on a reported budget of $75 million.

The math has been kind to Sony. A common rule of thumb is that marketing costs roughly match the production budget, putting break-even around $150 million. The film reportedly passed that mark on Saturday, September 26, after just 9 days in theaters.

The reviews have helped. The film sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and has become the highest-rated film based on a video game on review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. Word of mouth like that rarely comes to this franchise.

The first trailer for Zach Cregger's ‘RESIDENT EVIL’ has been released.

In theaters on September 18. pic.twitter.com/eeVCAGzy6M

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 30, 2026

Those two markets aren’t a footnote. According to Box Office Mojo, ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ earned about $159.5 million in China and $36.5 million in Japan, together accounting for nearly $196 million of its $312.2 million worldwide haul. That film remains the highest-grossing entry in the series.

Cregger’s version won’t necessarily repeat those numbers, but the potential is obvious. Reaching the record would take roughly another $116 million. With two major markets still to come, that no longer seems out of reach.

The film has also set format milestones. IMAX screenings accounted for $14.5 million of the opening, a record for a horror film in like-for-like markets. Those numbers hint at an audience willing to pay for a big-screen scare.

It also fits a larger trend. Horror has become one of the most reliable genres at the box office, and Cregger has become one of its most bankable names. Moving from the small-scale ‘Barbarian’ to a studio franchise, he has kept the hits coming.

Sony now has a genuine franchise revival on its hands. If China and Japan deliver anything close to what they did before, the numbers could climb into territory nobody expected a few weeks ago.

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