Resident Evil Movie Just Premiered and Is Already Breaking Box Office Records Despite Complaints from Video Game Fans

Resident Evil is a franchise with a very long history, so it is only natural that it has a loyal fanbase that fiercely defends it. That is precisely why the latest live-action adaptation raised eyebrows among a large portion of the community. Despite all the controversy surrounding it, the movie is shaping up to be a major commercial success.

The film, directed by filmmaker Zach Cregger, has just arrived in theaters in the United States and other regions. Despite only being in theaters for a few hours, it has already managed to break records. And yes, everything seems to indicate that the controversy will not have a significant impact on its theatrical run.

Resident Evil: Zero Night Is a Box Office Success During Its Opening

The feature film starring Austin Abrams and Paul Walter Hauser arrived in theaters in Mexico and Latin America in the middle of this week, but it has just premiered in the United States. We will have to wait to find out how it performs in our region during its first few days in theaters, but the preliminary figures from its home country are very encouraging.

Resident Evil: Zero Night, as it is known in our territory, had its preview screening in the United States last Thursday, September 17. According to reports, it managed to gross $8.8 million there on that day alone, setting a new franchise record.

The previous best mark for the Capcom series belonged to 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the last movie starring Milla Jovovich, which generated $1 million during its preview screenings. And yes, no other installment in the series surpassed the $1 million mark on the day before its release.

To make matters even more impressive, the latest Resident Evil live-action movie also comfortably surpassed the previous project from director Zach Cregger. Weapons, starring Julia Garner, Amy Madigan, and Josh Brolin, only grossed $5.75 million during its preview screenings.

The horror movie set in Raccoon City also had the third-best preview opening for a video game adaptation. Mortal Kombat 2 generated $5.2 million in revenue on its previous day, while Sonic the Hedgehog 3 made $6.5 million.

Resident Evil Also Wins Over Audiences Despite Fan Complaints

It is still too early to know whether the latest Resident Evil movie will be a commercial success and whether it will surpass its estimated budget of $75 million (not including marketing expenses), but experts are very positive. Analysts predicted that the film would gross between $40 million and $50 million during its first weekend in the United States, but they now believe it could reach a higher figure.

Ultimately, this is an impressive achievement considering all the controversy surrounding the project. The first criticism began when director Zach Cregger revealed that he would make an original movie that would not feature the original characters from Capcom’s video games.

The filmmaker responded to the criticism and argued that it would simply be impossible to surpass the source material, so he preferred to tell a new story set in the franchise’s universe. That approach upset fans who expected to see Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and others.

Despite criticism from some followers of the series, Resident Evil: Zero Night won over professional critics. At the moment, it boasts an almost perfect 97% rating on Tomatazos, making it one of the best video game adaptations to date. Most viewers are also very happy.