Resident Evil Reboot Opens to Franchise-Best Previews and Near-Perfect Reviews

Sony’s Resident Evil reboot earned $8.8 million in Thursday preview screenings, the largest preview gross in the franchise’s history, as it opens in theaters on September 18, 2026. The film from director Zach Cregger is projected to earn between $40 million and $50 million domestically over its opening weekend, with some projections reaching $60 million due to strong reviews.

The R-rated film holds a 96 percent critics score and a 91 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes as of September 18. That makes it the highest-rated live-action adaptation in the franchise’s history and the best-reviewed video game movie on the platform.

Director Confirms No Post-Credits Scene

Despite the film’s strong reception, audiences should not expect any additional scenes during or after the credits. Multiple outlets, including Digital Spy and Polygon, confirmed that Resident Evil contains no mid-credits or post-credits scenes.

The ending leaves room for the story to continue, but Cregger has been clear about his intentions. In a September 2026 interview with Deadline, Cregger said he is not interested in taking on other established properties, calling Resident Evil his franchise exception.

‘I’ve got ideas, but this movie hasn’t even come out yet,’ Cregger said in a separate interview about a potential sequel.

A New Story Set in Raccoon City

The 2026 reboot tells an original story rather than adapting the games directly. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who becomes trapped in Raccoon City during a viral outbreak in 1998.

The cast also includes Zach Cherry as Dave, Kali Reis as Maxine, and Paul Walter Hauser as Carl. The film is written by Cregger and Shay Hatten, and produced by Robert Kulzer, Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Victor Hadida, Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan.

Cregger confirmed that no familiar faces from the games appear in the film. Speaking to Empire Magazine, he said the project is ‘really a Zach Cregger movie that just happens to be a Resident Evil movie.’

‘To try and shoehorn in any of those characters would feel inorganic to this self-contained story,’ Cregger said. ‘I have to put the story first and foremost.’

Critical Reception

Critics have largely embraced Cregger’s approach. The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck wrote that Abrams’ performance is ‘a key factor in the film’s success’ and that the movie ‘transcends its simplistic premise with the sort of cinematic wit and flair for which the filmmaker has been justly acclaimed.’

IGN’s Tom Jorgensen recommended that skeptics ‘put that to one side and lock in for what Zach Cregger delivers with this new adaptation of the Capcom games.’

The film’s production budget was $75 million. It opens as the only major wide release this weekend and is expected to easily claim the top spot on domestic box office charts.

The reboot is the eighth live-action installment in the Resident Evil film series, which began with Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2002 film starring Milla Jovovich. The previous franchise opening record was $26.6 million, set by Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010.

As of September 18, the film is in theaters and no sequel has been officially announced.