It's been an incredibly successful year for the movie industry, with over $4 billion grossed during the summer thanks to the release of hits like Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Obsession, and Toy Story 5. Furthermore, projections estimate that 2026 could become the first year after the pandemic to reach the $10 billion mark, a goal that now seems all the more likely thanks to the release of another surprise hit in the form of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil (2026).
Capcom's horror franchise had never found much success on the big screen. While the six Resident Evil movies starring Milla Jovovich managed to gross enough to keep the franchise afloat, all of them were met with mixed-to-negative reviews. Furthermore, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was supposed to be the beginning of a new franchise better than the last, but it flopped commercially, ensuring a sequel was never greenlit.
Despite the fact that all signs indicated the franchise wasn't meant to be adapted to the big screen, Sony Pictures tried once more, and now the studio has finally captured lightning in a bottle. Resident Evil (2026) not only became the highest-rated video game film ever made, but it has also been breaking box office records for the franchise. Better yet, the horror thriller has now reached its most impressive milestone yet.
Resident Evil just crossed the $150 million mark at the box office, likely recouping its initial investment
Resident Evil had a budget of $75 million, and a common rule of thumb is that studios invest the same amount in marketing and promotional expenses, meaning the film had a break-even point of around $150 million. On Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026, the film reached and surpassed that mark after just nine days in theaters. Now it is projected to surpass $190 million at the worldwide box office by the end of its second weekend, officially turning a profit for Sony Pictures.
The highest-grossing Resident Evil movie ever made is The Final Chapter, which earned $312 million worldwide. At its current pace, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil will surpass that record and make history for the franchise as a whole. A key factor to take into consideration is that Sony's horror film has yet to be released in major markets such as China and Japan, where it will hit theaters in October.
The box office success of Resident Evil (2026) could incentivize Sony Pictures to move forward with a sequel, which hasn't been officially greenlit just yet. However, director Zach Cregger revealed during an interview with The Playlist that he already has ideas for where the story could go next: "I can't help thinking about other places this story could go. I've got ideas, but this movie hasn't even come out yet. Let's see what happens."
Cregger's impressive filmmaking career—which includes movies like Barbarian, Weapons, and now Resident Evil—will be expanded with the release of The Flood. Since the director's upcoming project is scheduled to be released in 2028, it's unlikely that we'll see a sequel to Resident Evil (2026) until 2029 at the earliest.
Granted, there's always a possibility that Sony will look to make spin-offs set in this world with other directors at the helm to ensure the next release isn't that far away. However, the best strategy would be to wait for the mastermind who finally cracked the code on how to make a successful Resident Evil film.
It's also been a standout year when it comes to horror film releases. Obsession and Resident Evil (2026) have proved that the genre is more alive than ever and that R-rated films can be huge box-office hits even without the children's demographic. As such, it will be interesting to see whether other upcoming releases like DC's Clayface manage to keep the streak going.
Resident Evil (2026) is now playing in theaters.
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