The 2026 Resident Evil film, helmed by Zach Cregger, whose previous horror hit Evanouis captivated audiences in 2025, opened to a respectable 372,800 admissions in France during its first week. This impressive tally was achieved across 413 screens, notably the smallest screen count among the top five films, yet it was enough to dethrone Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which had dominated the weekly charts for seven consecutive weeks. This performance signals a positive turning point for the zombie-infested world on the big screen, especially following the franchise's recent struggles.
The path for the Resident Evil film series has been fraught with challenges in recent years. The 2021 reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, garnered only 110,000 admissions in its opening week, making the latest film's debut nearly three times more successful. Furthermore, a live-action Netflix series based on the games was cancelled after a single season, leaving fans and critics alike questioning the franchise's cinematic future. However, Cregger's vision, bringing back actor Austin Abrams from his acclaimed Evanouis, appears to have re-energized the property.
Comparing its French opening to the Milla Jovovich-led saga, the 2026 Resident Evil outpaced several of its predecessors. It surpassed Resident Evil: Extinction (302,000 admissions), Resident Evil: Retribution (265,000 admissions), and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (174,000 admissions). This indicates a solid rebound in audience interest.
However, the film couldn't quite reach the heights of the franchise's earlier successes. It lagged behind Paul W.S. Anderson's original Resident Evil from 2002, which opened to a formidable 533,000 admissions. Similarly, it trailed Resident Evil: Apocalypse (459,000 admissions) and Resident Evil: Afterlife (404,000 admissions). Despite not setting new benchmarks for the entire series, the film's performance is a clear improvement over previous attempts to revive the live-action adaptations.
Beyond the franchise, Cregger's latest effort also performed well against his own previous work, attracting more viewers than Evanouis, which drew just under 281,500 people in its opening week. It also outperformed other 2026 horror franchise releases in France, including the video game adaptation Retour à Silent Hill (103,000 admissions) and Insidious: L'invasion du lointain (230,000 admissions). While it didn't come close to the record-breaking debut of The Conjuring in 2025, which exceeded a million admissions, its position as a strong performer in the horror genre is undeniable.
With a promising start under its belt, the focus now shifts to how the new Resident Evil will sustain its momentum in the coming weeks. Its initial success in France, coupled with its record-breaking performance in the US domestic market, suggests that Cregger and his team have found a formula to bring the iconic horror franchise back into the cinematic spotlight.