Resident Evil Opens With Franchise-Best $8M–$9M Previews as Audience Score Hits 91%

Sony and Constantin’s new Resident Evil movie is off to a significantly stronger start than previous entries in the video game adaptation franchise, with early estimates putting its Thursday preview earnings above $8 million and potentially over $9 million. The result gives Zach Cregger’s horror film the biggest preview opening in Resident Evil movie history, while its strong early audience response could provide additional momentum heading into the weekend.

The film was initially projected to open between $40 million and $50 million domestically. Industry observers tracking ticket sales believe the movie could potentially exceed the $50 million mark if its Friday and weekend holds remain strong.

Resident Evil Sets New Franchise Benchmarks

The film’s preview performance represents a major jump over previous Resident Evil movies. The franchise’s previous best preview result came from 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which earned approximately $1 million from previews.

Even the lower estimate of $8 million means Cregger’s movie has already surpassed several recent genre and video game adaptations in preview revenue. Weapons, another Cregger-directed horror film, generated $5.75 million in previews before opening to $43.5 million domestically.

The new Resident Evil has also exceeded the preview performances of Scream 7, which earned $7.8 million, Mortal Kombat 2 with $5.2 million and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with $6.5 million. However, comparisons between these movies should be treated carefully because their audiences, ratings and release strategies differ.

The film is reportedly backed by a $75 million production budget and carries an R rating, while Sony and Constantin are releasing it across premium large formats including IMAX and other PLF screens.

Strong Rotten Tomatoes Scores Could Boost the Opening

The box-office performance is being accompanied by unusually strong audience and critical scores for the franchise. The movie currently holds a 96% Certified Fresh critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, according to the figures reported by Deadline, while its audience score stands at 91%.

That audience figure is particularly notable because the previous franchise high belonged to the original 2002 Resident Evil, which had a 67% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. If the current 91% rating holds, Cregger’s film would establish a substantial new benchmark for audience reception across the movie series.

The film is also taking a different creative approach from the earlier Milla Jovovich-led movies. Cregger has reportedly focused on making the new adaptation more closely connected to the atmosphere and concepts of Capcom’s original video games, reflecting his own enthusiasm for the franchise.

Whether that approach translates into strong word-of-mouth will be crucial. Horror movies can be heavily front-loaded, meaning strong previews do not automatically guarantee equally large weekend grosses.

Previous Resident Evil films have nevertheless demonstrated relatively solid Friday-to-Saturday holds in several cases. The Final Chapter increased by around 1.4%, while the 2002 original rose approximately 1% between Friday and Saturday. Resident Evil: Afterlife, meanwhile, declined by around 9%, but still holds the franchise’s previous domestic opening record at approximately $26.6 million.

With Resident Evil now potentially heading beyond $50 million domestically, the weekend will determine whether its record-breaking preview performance translates into the franchise’s biggest theatrical opening yet.