Hollywood horror has had a decent innings at Indian multiplexes lately, and the latest entry has kept that streak going. Resident Evil pulled in roughly Rs 3.75 crore gross on its opening day in India, according to trade reports. That figure comes on top of Rs 50 lakh the film had already banked from paid previews held on Thursday.

For a Hollywood title without a major desi star tie-in or a pre-existing local fanbase riding on it, that's a solid first-day number. Trade watchers reading the early trend expect the film to post a healthy total by the time the weekend wraps.

The film is directed by Zach Cregger and stars Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry and Kali Reis. The story follows Bryan, a medical courier out on a snowbound night shift, who gets sent to deliver cargo to a hospital just as an outbreak turns the city upside down. What happens to him after that is the rest of the film.

A pattern, not a one-off

This isn't an isolated spike. Hollywood horror has been quietly building an audience in India over the past couple of years, and Resident Evil's opening adds to that case. Distributors have leaned into positioning these films around their scare quotient and word of mouth rather than star power, and it seems to be working, at least on day one.

Whether that early appetite converts into a proper theatrical run depends on how the film holds through the weekend, always the real test for a horror title without built-in brand recall in India. Day one numbers driven by curiosity and reviews can fall away fast if the film doesn't deliver on the promise. Previews adding Rs 50 lakh ahead of the actual release also suggests there was some pre-release buzz worth cashing in on, rather than a cold start.

No official studio figures have been shared yet, so what we have are early trade estimates, and those tend to get revised, sometimes upward, sometimes down, once actual box office tracking firms release their numbers over the next couple of days. Worth keeping an eye on how Saturday and Sunday collections shape up before calling this a hit or just a strong opening that fades.

For now, the film has cleared the first hurdle. What matters more is Saturday's number, when word of mouth either pushes footfalls up or the drop-off begins. That's usually where a horror release in India either finds legs or loses them.