Are We Underestimating How Big Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ Could Open?

Sony Pictures and Constantin Film look like they bet on the right filmmaker.

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opens tomorrow, with Deadline projecting a $40–50 million domestic debut, roughly $31 million overseas, and a worldwide opening around $80 million. That would put it on course for the biggest domestic opening in franchise history.

Personally? I think those estimates are playing it safe.

I think Resident Evil is going to blow the lid off the box office this weekend and top $100 million. The marketing has been fantastic, the hype is enormous, and Cregger coming off Barbarian and Weapons gives this movie an appeal that goes well beyond the franchise’s existing audience. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it push past those projections and turn into one of those monster horror openings we talk about for years.

We’ll report back on Sunday. But my bet is that this thing is going to be fucking huge.

What excites me most is the possibility of this franchise finding its footing again. Paul W.S. Anderson’s run gave us years of giant, popcorn-munching action spectacles, but Welcome to Raccoon City never launched the fresh series it was supposed to. It felt like the movies had run out of road.

Now we have Cregger bringing his own sensibilities to the games, and suddenly there’s a whole lot to be excited about again.

The new film follows Austin Abrams (Weapons) as Bryan, a medical courier whose delivery takes him into a nightmare in Raccoon City. It’s an original story built around a desperate fight for survival, with an ordinary guy caught in an increasingly horrific situation.

Our own Matt Konopka has already weighed in with his review of Cregger’s bloody trip through Raccoon City.