If there was any doubt that Zach Cregger was among the hottest up-and-coming directors in Hollywood, this weekend will no doubt put those doubts to rest. While everyone expected Resident Evil to easily set franchise records, it’s opening way bigger than anyone expected — including us in our predictions. According to Deadline, it’s looking at about $53 million for the weekend (maybe even $60 million if the Saturday numbers come in hot), easily setting a franchise record. The previous biggest opener in the series was Resident Evil: Afterlife, which made $26.6 million back in 2010. It’s going to open something like ten times higher than the last Resident Evil movie, Welcome to Raccoon City, which opened with an abysmal $5.32 million.
It’s looking at about $10 million more than Cregger’s last film, Weapons, which ended its run with $151 million. Notably, the film has a B+ CinemaScore rating, which is the highest the franchise has ever received and also an exceptionally strong grade for a horror flick.
Last weekend’s big opener, Practical Magic 2, is nosediving at the box office, losing 64% of its audience for a $10.8 million second weekend and a $48 million total. Spider-Man: Brand New Day should be in third place with $6.3 million, as its total approaches a billion domestically. It’s now at $944 million. The Odyssey isn’t far behind with $5 million and a $609 million total. Coyote vs. Acme is still doing well with $4.2 million and a $54 million total, which makes it a nice sleeper hit for Ketchup Entertainment. Angel Studios’ Runner, with Alan Ritchson, fell off 55% to $2.9 million and a light $11 million total. Sadly, one of the best movies of the weekend, The Weight, isn’t seeing much action with a $2.55 million opening. One of the big surprises of the weekend is Fathom’s re-release of Transformers: The Movie, which is looking at $2.9 million.
We’ll be back with a full box office wrap-up tomorrow, but in the meantime, what are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments.