Resident Evil (2026): Cast, Plot, Reviews and Box Office
Resident Evil, released in 2026, is the eighth live-action film based on Capcom's survival-horror franchise. It is directed by Zach Cregger, best known for Barbarian and Weapons, and it takes the series in a very different direction from its predecessors. It has also been a success with critics and audiences.
Quick facts
- Director: Zach Cregger
- Writers: Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten
- Release: 18 September 2026 in the US, after a Los Angeles premiere on 15 September
- Distributor: Sony Pictures, with Constantin Film as a producing partner
- Rating: R, for strong bloody violence, gore and language
- Running time: around 90 minutes
- Budget: about $75 million
What the film is about
The story follows Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams. He is sent to deliver a package to Raccoon City General Hospital, a job that should be routine. Instead he finds himself caught in an outbreak and has to survive a single, chaotic shift among infected people and mutated creatures.
This is a new story rather than a retelling of a particular Capcom title. Cregger has said it sits within the established lore and runs alongside the events of Resident Evil 2. It does not follow the franchise's main events or its best-known heroes.
Cast and crew
Abrams, who also appeared in Cregger's Weapons, leads the film. The main lineup around him includes:
Cregger also provides the voice of the hospital intercom. The producers include Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Victor Hadida, Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, alongside Cregger himself.
How the reboot came about
Constantin Film began planning a fresh start for the series in early 2022. That followed the poor reception of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in 2021. In January 2025 it was announced that Cregger would co-write and direct the new version.
The original run began in 2002 and centred on Milla Jovovich as Alice, a character created for the films. She led six instalments. Cregger's film makes a clean break from that continuity.
A break from the established characters
The decision to leave out familiar names such as Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield caused some concern among fans before release. Cregger argued that the film was not breaking the rules of the source material. Reviewers have generally found the approach liberating, since it lets newcomers join in without homework.
Critical reception
Reviews have been strong. Rotten Tomatoes scored the film 96% around its opening weekend, and audiences gave it a B+ on CinemaScore. It is now rated higher on the review aggregators than any previous screen adaptation of a console series.
Critics have praised its mix of style, humour and gore. Roger Ebert's site compared Cregger's blend of horror and comedy to Sam Raimi's, and saw John Carpenter in the creature designs. Deadline called it a smart, original reboot. Variety's critic described the earlier films as noisy zombie sludge, and found this one quirkier and easier to relate to.
Some of the praise comes with a caveat. One commentator noted that it works more as a Cregger film dressed in the franchise's clothes than as a faithful translation. Viewers wanting a direct take on a favourite Capcom story may feel that.
Box office
The film has broken franchise records. Its previews took $8.8 million, the biggest in the series. It then opened to around $60 million in the US and Canada, and $108.3 million worldwide once $48.3 million from overseas was added.
That opening beat the $43.5 million Cregger's Weapons made on its debut. It also dwarfed the series' previous best opening, set by Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010 at about $26 million. The UK and Mexico were the strongest international markets that weekend.
The run has continued well. Domestically the film has passed $150 million, overtaking Weapons' North American total. Worldwide it stands in the region of $385 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise. Against a $75 million budget, that is a clear commercial win.
Where it fits in Cregger's career
Cregger broke out with the low-budget Barbarian in 2022. He followed it with Weapons in 2025, which earned Amy Madigan an Oscar and became a large hit. Resident Evil is his first film for an established brand. He has said he wants to be closely involved in writing anything he directs, which is why he co-wrote this one with Shay Hatten.
The bottom line
Resident Evil is a lean, bloody and often funny horror film that treats a well-worn franchise as a place to tell a fresh story. It has won over critics, set records and given the series its first widely praised entry. Whether Sony and Constantin plan a follow-up has not been confirmed, but the results make that a question worth watching. Fans who want familiar faces may be disappointed. Those open to a standalone outbreak thriller have plenty to enjoy.