Zack Cregger's New "Resident Evil" Achieves Record-Breaking Start in Franchise History

Early viewers and critics are thrilled with the new take on Raccoon City.

Zack Cregger's "Resident Evil" reboot has achieved the best start in the history of film adaptations of Capcom's game franchise. On its first day of release in North America, the film grossed $26.3 million, with opening weekend earnings expected to reach $55 million.

The previous record was held by the 2010 film "Resident Evil: Afterlife," which grossed $26 million over its entire opening weekend. Thus, the new adaptation surpassed its result in just one day of release.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 96% positive reviews from critics and 92% from audiences, becoming the highest-rated video game adaptation on the aggregator. "Resident Evil" will begin showing in Russian cinemas in early October.