Well, you can’t do much to compete with horror nowadays, especially a (second) reboot stamped by a coming-of-the-modern-times director (see evidence with Barbarian and Weapons). Still, it only took so long for Resident Evil to truly flex its zombie, mutated muscles and earn worthwhile reviews and a solid box-office performance in its debut (and the highest-grossing weekend based on an R-rated video game). Yes, $60 million domestically is already very impressive, and depending on where the final figures land tomorrow, that’ll be just over/under Resident Evil: Afterlife’s $60.13 million domestic total. Oh, and it already outgrossed the $27-$51 million lifetime totals of the first five Milla Jovovich-starring Resident Evil films.
It pulled a (somewhat) underwhelming 2.28x weekend multiplier, so even if it legged out like Afterlife, that would put it around $130-140 million domestic. But, but, but, we’re talking about a director much like Jordan Peele, who clearly has an aptness for making horror dance, so let’s not stop this progression yet. If it legs like Backrooms, it will get to $150 million, but if it legs like Weapons, that will be $200 million domestic. It’s curious to see how this pans out as the horror season is nigh, and yet we still have some terror in the bag from the likes of Primetime, Beware Boiúna, and Universal’s Other Mommy to chip away at its status in the next few weeks. With $48.3 million from overseas territories, it has already blossomed past $100 million globally. The question is whether it can reach The Final Chapter‘s $314.1 million global total (thanks to a hefty, “save me please” $161 million in China alone). But it has all the attributes of another FOMO even for Cregger: a worthwhile director name, a recognizable gaming IP, excellent reviews, and the skyrocketing presence of horror in 2026 will help it hold its ground for weeks to come. Bravo for round three of Resident Evil onscreen, and for Cregger’s third horror title to exceed expectations.
In other news, Practical Magic 2 dipped 59% in its second weekend to $12.15 million, after passing $50 million domestically and $76 million worldwide. As we stated last week, rolling the dice on questionable IP (or IP that didn’t warrant a reboot/follow-up) isn’t always a good roll to begin with. Just ask The Thing, Blade Runner 2047, and Tron: Ares. It will probably only reach $125 million worldwide, which doesn’t even match its predecessor’s $196 million worldwide back in 1988.
In case you haven’t heard the good word, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially the highest-earning film ever in North America (not counting inflation). It’s one of the top 20 biggest-selling films ever and has sold more tickets than the likes of Home Alone, Independence Day, Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and Jurassic World. It topped the domestic box office for six straight weekends, becoming the first summer movie to do so since The Fugitive in 1993. Folks just wanted a non-event Spider-Man film, and they got it; it was a pride-and-restoration moment for the MCU, since Spidey can set the gold standard for doing superhero-ing right. Meanwhile, it will tip-toe to $2.5 billion, landing as the third highest-grossing film ever.
The Odyssey has passed $1.721 billion worldwide, still refusing to back down thanks to its IMAX prowess and breaking all the records for Universal globally. Doth we say it will leg out to $1.8 billion? Nothing would surprise this writer any further.
Coyote vs. Acme has passed $75 million worldwide, meaning it has eclipsed the purchasing rights Ketchup paid to get it away from WB, so dare we say the Internet did have some involvement. Runner dipped 51% in its second weekend and will pass $15 million worldwide later this week. Daniel and the Fiery Furnace opened with $3.14 million, while The Weight opened with $2.31 million.
The Transformers: The Movie re-released to take in $3.1 million, while Buddy is close to passing $25 million domestically.
Next weekend sees the release of Forgotten Island, Heart of the Beast, Primetime, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, and Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!.
