‘Resident Evil’ Officially Becomes the Franchise’s Biggest Movie After Being Removed From 1,000 Theaters
Zach Cregger’s *Resident Evil* has become the highest-grossing film in the franchise, passing $380 million worldwide. The milestone is notable given the series’ mixed critical reception and the new film’s reported $75 million production budget.
The R-rated horror film has taken about $153.7 million in North America and $384.5 million worldwide since opening on 18 September. Its North American theatre count has fallen from 3,684 to 2,148, a loss of 1,536 locations, or roughly 41.7%; it remains in wide release. The story follows medical courier Bryan, whose delivery to a remote hospital turns into a struggle to survive an outbreak and mutated creatures.
In short
- *Resident Evil* has earned about $384.5 million worldwide.
- It is now the franchise’s highest-grossing film.
- It remains in wide release despite losing 1,536 theatres.
Explained simply
Resident Evil began as a Japanese video game series about outbreaks that create zombies and other mutated creatures. Its success led to films, comics and other games, with the screen stories generally focusing on people trying to survive or contain the outbreaks.
The films form a long-running horror franchise, but reviews and audience reactions have varied. The newest film, directed by Zach Cregger, follows medical courier Bryan after a delivery takes him to a remote hospital during an outbreak.
Box office records show how much a film earns from ticket sales, while a production budget is the reported cost of making it. These figures offer one measure of the franchise’s commercial reach, alongside reviews and the number of cinemas still showing a film.
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