'Resident Evil' Tracking for Franchise-Best $150M Global Opening

Sony’s “Resident Evil” reboot is heading toward theaters with box office tracking few horror films manage to reach, projected to pull in between $120 million and $150 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Director Zach Cregger, who broke out with “Barbarian” and followed it with last year’s “Weapons,” opens the film Friday against Warner Bros.’ “Practical Magic 2” in what studios expect to be a competitive late-September frame.

Domestic tracking has climbed steadily in the weeks before release. Early estimates put a North American opening between $30 million and $40 million; that range rose to $40 million to $50 million, and some independent projections now put the ceiling closer to $60 million. Any of those outcomes would top the franchise’s existing domestic record, the $26.65 million “Resident Evil: Afterlife” earned in 2010. No prior entry in the series has ever cleared $27 million in its opening frame.

Audience-awareness tracking backs up the numbers. Data from The Quorum’s eight-week survey puts the film at 51% awareness and 52% interest among moviegoers, the top marks of any release currently being tracked. Cregger arrives with box office momentum of his own: “Weapons” opened to $43.5 million domestically last year and closed its run near $270 million globally, and Sony’s marketing campaign has leaned on that success to sell the new film.

The reboot follows a medical courier named Bryan, who finds himself fighting for survival after an outbreak strikes Raccoon City General Hospital during a delivery. Sony reportedly spent $75 million to $80 million on production and has sent Cregger and the cast on an international press tour, betting on markets overseas where the video game franchise has historically drawn strong turnout.

The film also gets an early launch in the United Arab Emirates, screening there a day ahead of its wide release. Premium formats are expected to carry outsized weight in the final tally, with distributors reporting brisk advance sales for IMAX and other large-format showings in several countries. Reviews have been largely positive so far, a factor some analysts say could push the film toward the top of its tracked range rather than the bottom once ticket sales are finalized this weekend.