New Resident Evil Film Opens to Record Critical Acclaim

The new Resident Evil film has opened in theaters to record-breaking critical acclaim and strong early box office performance, marking a significant shift for the long-running video game adaptation franchise. Directed by Zach Cregger, the reboot stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier who becomes trapped in a T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City, telling an original story rather than directly adapting a specific game. The film holds a 96% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rating in the franchise's history, surpassing the previous best of 39% for 2017's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. It also earned an audience score of 91%, the highest for any Resident Evil movie. In Thursday preview screenings, the film generated an estimated $8 million to $9 million, setting a new record for the series and exceeding initial analyst projections for its opening weekend. Cregger, known for directing Barbarian and Weapons, approached the material by incorporating elements from the Capcom video games while crafting a new narrative. The film focuses on survival horror and claustrophobic tension, a departure from the action-oriented style of the previous six films starring Milla Jovovich.