‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Opens With Record Reviews

Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil movie is entering theaters with the strongest early critical score yet for a video game adaptation. As of September 17, the film held a 97 percent Tomatometer rating from 91 reviews, putting it well ahead of previous genre leaders on the review aggregator.

A new story inside a familiar nightmare

Rather than recreating one of Capcom’s games or bringing back established protagonists, the movie follows an original character named Bryan. Played by Austin Abrams, he is a medical courier whose routine night collapses into a race for survival as a biohazard crisis spreads around him.

The story runs alongside the events of Resident Evil 2, allowing Cregger to use the franchise’s world without retelling the game scene by scene. That approach initially drew skepticism from fans who wanted familiar characters, but the filmmaker has emphasized that the project was built from his affection for the games and their particular rhythm of dread, exploration and sudden violence.

Strong reviews meet ambitious box-office forecasts

The early reception gives Sony a strong launch point ahead of the movie’s wide release on September 18. Its 97 percent score topped the 86 percent marks held by both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Werewolves Within at the time of publication. Because review scores can change as more notices arrive, the ranking remains a snapshot rather than a permanent record.

Industry projections reported ahead of opening weekend also point to the biggest domestic debut in the film franchise’s history. Tracking placed the launch in the $40 million to $50 million range, with some estimates reaching higher. The current franchise record belongs to 2010’s Resident Evil: Afterlife, which opened to $26.6 million domestically before finishing with about $300 million worldwide.

The reboot runs 90 minutes and carries an R rating for strong bloody violence, gore and language. Abrams is joined by Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson and Paul Walter Hauser. For a franchise that has repeatedly moved between games and movies, the opening-week question is now whether critical enthusiasm can translate into the audience turnout suggested by those forecasts.