



Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' reboot is storming into theaters with the strongest preview numbers in the franchise's 24-year history, setting the stage for a potential record-breaking opening weekend. According to Deadline, the film generated an estimated $8 million to $9 million from Thursday night previews in the U.S., a massive leap over the previous franchise preview record set by 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter' in 2017, which brought in roughly $1 million, as reported by planetoffilms.com. "The preview performance is a significant jump over the previous franchise record." Industry analysts are now debating just how high the opening weekend could climb. While initial tracking from Dork Magazine and BriefTea pegged the domestic opening between $40 million and $50 million, with a global start around $80 million, Gazettely reports that projections have surged to a staggering $120 million to $150 million worldwide. IGN notes that the current domestic opening weekend record for the series is held by 2010's 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' at $26.6 million, a figure Cregger's film is widely expected to surpass. Adding to the momentum, the film has achieved unprecedented critical and audience acclaim. Deadline reports that the reboot holds a 96% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 91% audience score, making it the best-reviewed entry in the series' history, a fact also highlighted by BriefTea. This reception marks a dramatic turnaround for a franchise that has often struggled with critics. "The film has also achieved record-breaking reception, holding a 96% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 91% audience score." With such strong previews and glowing reviews, themovieblog.com reports that industry analysts are questioning whether current box office projections are too conservative. Cregger, who broke out with the horror hit 'Barbarian' and followed it with last year's 'Weapons,' according to Gazettely, opens the film against Warner Bros.' competition this Friday, but the early indicators suggest a monster hit is in the making. As IGN put it, this 'Resident Evil' is expected to make more money on opening weekend than any other entry before it, potentially setting a new benchmark for video game adaptations.


Polygon caught up with series director and character designer Mokochan and Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo to talk Ghost in the Shell.
Polygon caught up with series director and character designer Mokochan and Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo to talk Ghost in the Shell.










