'Resident Evil' tops box office with franchise best debut of $60 million

Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” is giving the North American box office a boost.

Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” gave the North American box office a shot in the arm in its first weekend in theaters. The Sony Pictures release earned $60 million in ticket sales from 3,684 locations in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That’s a best for the video game inspired franchise, of which there have been seven prior movies dating back to 2002, and for the filmmaker behind “Weapons” and “Barbarian.” It’s also more than most of the previous films made in their entire domestic runs. The only exception is “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” which was released in 2010 and netted out with $60.1 million, not accounting for inflation.

Cregger’s “Resident Evil” stars Austin Abrams (who also played a pivotal role in “Weapons”) as a medical courier whose last job of the night finds him battling infected creatures in Raccoon City. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive; it currently boasts a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The audience was primarily male (66%) and under 35 (75%), according to PostTrak exit polls, and gave it a B+ CinemaScore. Cregger’s previous films have defied a lot of box office logic when it comes to horror movies, whose earnings tend to be front-loaded and drop sharply after the first weekend. “Barbarian” grossed over $46 million on a budget under $5 million. “Weapons” made $270 million on a $38 million budget.

“Zach Cregger is a household name in the world of horror,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. “There are certain directors who become the star of the movie.”

“Resident Evil” cost a reported $75 million to produce, which does not include marketing and promotion expenses. Internationally, it earned $48.3 million, bringing its global launch to $108.3 million.

“Zach Cregger plus big franchise equals big bucks,” Dergarabedian said. “And he made it feel fresh and new.”

According to Rentrak, horror movies this year, including hits like “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” have generated over $1.1 billion at the domestic box office.

Second place went to “Practical Magic 2,” which fell about 59% from its lackluster opening weekend with $12.2 million from 4,163 theaters in North America. An additional $7 million from international showings brings its running global total to $76.8 million.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” landed in third place with $6.5 million in its eighth weekend, pushing its domestic total to $944.5 million. “The Odyssey,” in its 10th weekend in theaters, added another $4.9 million to take fourth place. “Coyote vs. Acme” rounded out the top five with $4.5 million.

One notable limited release was “The History of Concrete,” a documentary from comedian John Wilson, which earned $90,000 from one screen (the IFC Center in New York). The only film to make more in a single weekend at that venue was “Parasite,” which made $119,407.

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

8. “Transformers: The Movie” (40th anniversary re-release), $3.1 million.