‘Resident Evil’ Just Crossed $400 Million, And It’s Still Coming For More

Zach Cregger has built a career on making horror movies that refuse to behave like horror movies at the box office. “Barbarian” grossed over $46 million on a budget under $5 million, a rare feat for a genre whose earnings tend to be front-loaded and drop sharply after opening weekend.

His follow-up only raised the stakes. “Weapons” drew $270 million globally, including $151.6 million domestic off a $43.5 million debut, which made Cregger one of the most bankable names in the genre almost overnight.

So when Cregger was confirmed to be directing and co-writing a new ‘Resident Evil’ reboot in January 2025, the question wasn’t whether people would show up. It was just how many.

Variety now has the answer, and it’s a big one. According to the outlet, the ‘Resident Evil’ reboot has climbed to $400 million in global ticket sales, with $157.399 million in North America and $242.6 million overseas. That makes it the highest-grossing installment in the 24-year-old horror franchise, toppling 2016’s ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ and its $312 million global total.

The record-breaking run began on opening weekend. The film debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $60 million domestically and took in $48.3 million overseas for a $108.3 million global start. That was well ahead of expectations, since Deadline had projected a $40 to $50 million domestic debut.

The franchise had never seen anything close to those numbers. The previous domestic opening weekend record belonged to ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife,’ which opened to $26.6 million in 2010. Cregger’s film more than doubled it.

It didn’t stop there. The reboot became the first film in the series to pass $100 million at the U.S. box office, a mark no earlier entry had come near. By then, the question was no longer whether it would break the global record, only when.

The film also arrives with a different financial profile than its immediate predecessor. Its production budget was a reported $75 million, quite a bit higher than the reported $25 million for ‘Welcome to Raccoon City.’ That earlier reboot attempt opened to just $5.3 million in the early days of the pandemic and finished with only $41.9 million worldwide, so the gamble on Cregger looks like it has paid off.

The success is also personal for the filmmaker. Reports noted that the film quickly became the biggest financial success of Cregger’s directing career. At $320.2 million worldwide, it had already made him the director of his own highest-grossing film, and the $400 million total pushes that milestone even further.

Fans have been vocal about what they want from here. The film stars Austin Abrams, and his take on the material, along with the buzz around Leon Kennedy, has kept the conversation going well beyond opening weekend. Even a third-place weekend finish behind a new Blumhouse release didn’t slow the film’s overall climb.

There is also the matter of what comes next. Cregger’s reboot could be just the first in a new film series, and a $400 million haul is exactly the kind of number that gets sequels greenlit.

The franchise has a long history of mixed reviews paired with solid returns. The six earlier films grossed a combined $1.2 billion at the box office despite predominantly negative reviews. This time, a director with real horror credibility has turned that formula into a record-setting hit, and it’s hard to imagine Sony not wanting to go back to Raccoon City again.