Hollywood's witches enjoyed only one weekend on top before the zombies came charging through the door. Sony's new Resident Evil reboot is heading for a massive No. 1 debut, with early projections suggesting the horror movie could collect approximately $60 million to $67 million from North American theaters this weekend.
Directed by Barbarian and Weapons filmmaker Zach Cregger, Resident Evil earned an estimated $8.8 million from Thursday preview screenings. That result was strong enough to send earlier predictions soaring and put the movie on course for the biggest opening in the franchise's history.
The current record belongs to 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife, which opened with $26.7 million. If Cregger's reboot reaches its projected total, it will earn more than twice that amount and deliver the series its first genuine blockbuster launch.
The film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier whose delivery turns into a desperate fight for survival after an outbreak unleashes terror around him. Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry and Kali Reis appear in supporting roles.
Sony spent an estimated $75 million producing the R-rated movie, meaning an opening above $60 million would place it in a strong position before international ticket sales are added. The release is playing in approximately 3,684 North American theaters, including premium-format locations.
Critics have also given the reboot an unexpected advantage. While previous Resident Evil adaptations were regularly battered by reviewers, Cregger's film debuted with overwhelmingly positive notices and was initially reported to have a Rotten Tomatoes score above 95%.
The critical enthusiasm appears to have accelerated advance sales during the final days before release. Earlier projections placed the movie closer to $40 million, but its impressive preview total now suggests audiences were waiting for a Resident Evil film that treated the material as more than another disposable video-game adaptation.
That spells trouble for last weekend's champion, Practical Magic 2. The long-awaited sequel reunited Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman and opened at No. 1 with $30 million, nearly 28 years after the original film reached theaters.
However, the Owens sisters are expected to surrender the crown immediately. Current projections suggest Practical Magic 2 could fall approximately 56% and earn around $13.1 million during its second weekend.
The drop would not be catastrophic, but it reinforces questions about whether the $75 million sequel can become genuinely profitable. Its opening-weekend victory generated headlines, yet the film must demonstrate staying power through the Halloween season to cover its production and marketing expenses.
While Resident Evil is expected to win the weekend, the biggest box-office story may belong to a film that has already been playing for weeks. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has officially passed Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become the highest-grossing movie ever released in North America.
The Force Awakens had held the domestic record with $936.7 million since 2015. The latest Spider-Man adventure passed that figure during the week and had reportedly reached approximately $938 million before the new weekend began. It is now expected to finish Sunday with close to $943 million domestically.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is also refusing to disappear. After passing $600 million in North America and approximately $1.68 billion worldwide, the epic is projected to earn another $5.1 million this weekend despite losing hundreds of theaters.
Coyote vs. Acme is expected to follow with approximately $4 million, continuing a surprisingly resilient theatrical run after years of controversy surrounding Warner Bros.' original attempt to shelve the completed film.
The family market will welcome Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, opening in more than 2,100 theaters. The animated adventure is projected to earn approximately $3 million, a modest result beside Resident Evil but potentially enough to attract parents searching for an alternative to the weekend's bloody horror attraction.
Christian audiences also have a significant new option. The faith-based biblical epic Daniel and the Fiery Furnace is opening in approximately 1,525 theaters, dramatizing Daniel's rise in Babylon and the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow before King Nebuchadnezzar.
Starring Mena Massoud, the film arrives as biblical entertainment continues attempting to prove that faith-based audiences can support theatrical releases beyond conventional church dramas. Its final weekend gross will offer an important indication of whether the film can turn its Scripture-based story into a wider box-office event.
Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe's Depression-era drama The Weight and Angelina Jolie's war drama Without Blood, starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, are receiving more limited theatrical releases and are not expected to challenge the weekend's major studio attractions.
The early figures remain estimates, and final weekend totals will not be available until Sunday and Monday. Nevertheless, the direction is already clear: Practical Magic 2 has lost its spell over the marketplace, Spider-Man has taken possession of Hollywood's most coveted domestic record, and Resident Evil has returned from the dead with far more force than anyone expected.
