After Practical Magic 2 failed to reignite the box office in a major way last weekend, another long-dormant franchise is getting another kick at the can. Zach Cregger, who’s among the hottest names in horror right now thanks to Barbarian and Weapons, is reactivating the Resident Evil film franchise with a one-off instalment that ignores the mythology of the Paul W.S. Anderson movies and attempts to capture the terror one felt when playing the original games for the first time.
Reviews have been almost universally positive (including our own), and the film will easily set a franchise record this weekend. On the cautiously optimistic end, it should hit $40 million, but given the reviews and potential word of mouth, it could climb to $50 million or even go higher. For comparison’s sake, the highest opening weekend in the franchise is currently Resident Evil: Afterlife, which made $26.6 million back in 2010. The last Resident Evil, the abysmal reboot Welcome to Raccoon City, crashed and burned with a $5.32 million opening.
As for Cregger, Weapons opened with $43.5 million, but it had a prime summer release date. Yet, it’s still possible Resident Evil will outperform it on opening weekend. Number two should go to Practical Magic 2, which will fall at least 50% to $15 million. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is now officially the highest-grossing movie of all time domestically, will be in third place with $5 million, followed closely by The Odyssey with $4.5 million. Coyote vs. Acme should round out the top five with $4 million.
Here are our predictions:
- Resident Evil: $40 million
- Practical Magic 2: $15 million
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day: $5 million
- The Odyssey: $4.5 million
- Coyote vs. Acme: $4 million
Are you seeing Resident Evil this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
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