Zach Cregger's new "Resident Evil" earned approximately $8.8 million in evening previews in the US and Canada. This is the best result in the franchise's history: the previous record belonged to "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," which grossed $1 million.
The film also surpassed Cregger's personal record. His previous horror film "Weapons" earned $5.75 million in previews. Additionally, the new "Resident Evil" outgrossed "Scream 7" with $7.8 million and "Mortal Kombat 2" with $5.2 million. Among horror films, the movie's result was the sixth highest in history. "It," "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," "It Chapter Two," "The Backrooms," and "Five Nights at Freddy's" ranked higher.
Following successful previews, projections for the opening weekend have increased. It is now expected that by the end of Sunday, the film will gross over $50 million in the US and Canada, and in a particularly favorable scenario, the result could reach $65-70 million.
Before the release, Deadline projected the film to earn around $31 million outside North America. If this estimate holds, and North American box office reaches the upper limit of the new forecast, the global opening of "Resident Evil" will be approximately $96-101 million — with a budget of $75 million excluding marketing costs.