Will "Resident Evil" Opening Weekend Box Office be less than 50m?

Analysis

Every tracking update on Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot has moved the same direction since early September 2026: up. The first tracking read from Deadline sat near $35 million. Reports of strong first-day ticket sales pushed forecasts toward $50 million. Later trackers cited $60 to $80 million, pointing to strong advance sales and a heavy IMAX and premium large-format footprint that inflates revenue per seat. None of these figures are confirmed results; they remain pre-release projections. That matters because studios and trade outlets rarely walk numbers back down once buzz builds this close to release. The franchise has never opened above $27 million domestically. But Cregger arrives with real audience goodwill from his prior film, and September's release calendar has only one comparable title competing for screens. One dissenting view holds the line at the original $35 to $50 million range. It notes the aggressive $80 million figure traces to a weaker social-media source, and warns that a result landing exactly at $50 million would complicate any clean call. That caution is fair given the absence of verified final presale totals. Still, the weight of reporting and the scale of the premium rollout support confidence in a number clearing $50 million rather than falling short of it. The thing to watch: Thursday preview numbers. Early preview strength has been the most reliable signal in this cycle so far.