Box Office: ‘Resident Evil’ Makes $8.8 Million in Previews, Biggest Ever for Series

The zombie virus is spreading to the box office as Sony’s “Resident Evil” reboot is taking over this weekend.

From “Weapons” director Zach Cregger, the new and original take on the horror video game series has made $8.8 million in previews at the box office. It’s aiming to make $40 million to $50 million domestically this weekend, but some projections put it closer to $60 million due to positive reviews. The movie cost $75 million to produce, so it’s on pace to become a back-to-back, box-office hit for Cregger after his horror movie “Weapons” ignited last year with $270 million globally after opening with $43 million. In comparison, “Weapons” started out with $5.7 million in previews.

“Resident Evil” will mark the largest opening for the auteur horror director and the largest of the video game series after it has run for eight movies. The series started out as a 1996 horror video game that has spawned several sequels, spinoffs and remakes, in addition to adaptation across film and TV. Milla Jovovich starred in eight movies, helmed by director Paul W.S. Anderson, across the 2000s and 2010s that were once the highest-grossing video game movies (until they were dethroned by the “Super Mario” films). Currently, the franchise’s biggest movie is 2010’s “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” which opened with $26 million domestically and finished its run with $300 million globally.

In the new movie, “Weapons” star Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier who delivers a mysterious package to a zombie-infested town. It will easily take the No. 1 spot at the box office after last week’s “Practical Magic 2” failed to spark.