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Zach Cregger's Resident Evil nears top 40 horror films and sets US franchise record

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil has earned about $246 million worldwide in three weekends and is on course to pass The Blair Witch Project among the 40 highest-grossing horror films. It has also become the franchise's top US earner.

2 outlets · 0L · 2C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: Collider
Image: Screen Rant

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 1Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot has earned $246 million worldwide in three weekends, Collider reported: $125 million domestic and $121 million overseas. Centre · 1Collider said the film's reported production budget is $75 million. Centre · 1Collider said that, with the film expected to keep up its run, it is set to overtake The Blair Witch Project and become one of the 40 highest-grossing horror films of all time.

Centre · 1In its latest weekend the film beat Tom Cruise's new film Digger. It placed second at the domestic box office, behind Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity, which opened with $61 million globally. Centre · 1Screen Rant, citing The Numbers, put the film at about $126 million domestically. It said this makes it the most successful Resident Evil entry at the US box office. Centre · 1The previous US best was 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife at $60 million. The last entry before the reboot, 2021's Welcome to Raccoon City, made $17 million in the US.

Centre · 1Screen Rant said the six Milla Jovovich films earned over $1.2 billion worldwide combined, doing most of their business overseas, and that Afterlife made almost $300 million worldwide. Centre · 2Both outlets describe strong reviews. Screen Rant cites a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and credits the film's reception and Cregger's reputation. Collider quotes its critic Carly Lane: "when Resident Evil works, it really works." Centre · 1Screen Rant said Cregger set out to capture the feeling of playing a survival horror game rather than adapt a specific game. It argued this approach helped the film.

Centre · 1Screen Rant said a sequel is all but certain, but Cregger's involvement is uncertain because he is due to move on to the sci-fi film The Flood. Centre · 1Collider noted that Cregger's previous horror film, Weapons, was a commercial and critical success. A prequel centred on Amy Madigan's Aunt Gladys, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards, is scheduled for 8 September 2028.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets are entertainment sites that treat the film as a hit. Collider leads on the top-40 horror ranking; Screen Rant leads on the franchise US record and the argument that Cregger was right not to adapt a specific game.
Emphasis
Box office milestones, comparisons with earlier films, Cregger's track record and critical praise.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither gives a full weekend-by-weekend breakdown. Screen Rant does not mention the Blair Witch ranking, and Collider does not mention the franchise record.
Charged language
“smash-hit”“smashed a franchise record”“Officially Set To Make Horror History”
For example
“Zach Cregger's smash-hit Resident Evil adaptation is officially set to steal Blair Witch's box office crown this weekend.” — Collider
“Zach Cregger's Resident Evil has smashed a franchise record” — Screen Rant

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.