The latest Resident Evil instalment stormed into theatres on Thursday night previews and turned the weekend into a $60 million domestic haul. That figure sits about $20 million above the most optimistic forecasts and shatters the series’ previous opening record.

Zach Cregger, the film’s director, now has three consecutive box‑office successes. His first two outings already proved profitable, and this horror‑action hybrid cements his reputation as a reliable draw for audiences craving big‑scale scares.

Made on a modest $80 million production slate, the movie’s profit margins look healthy from day one. Early audience polling handed it a B+ CinemaScore – a rare badge of approval for horror fare – hinting that word‑of‑mouth could keep the ticket line moving for weeks.

The $60 million debut more than doubles the $26.6 million opening of Resident Evil: Afterlife back in 2010. It also dwarfs the $6 million start of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, proving that a seasoned director can lift a franchise beyond the low‑budget reboot trap.

Across the same weekend, Practical Magic 2 stumbled, pulling in just over $12 million in its second week – a 59 percent drop that points to how quickly audience interest can evaporate when a sequel fails to click. Meanwhile, Spider‑Man: Brand New Day kept its mammoth momentum, adding $6.5 million to a domestic total that now sits at $944 million, edging toward the elusive $1 billion domestic milestone.

The Odyssey lingered in third place with $4.9 million, buoyed by its 70mm IMAX presentations and a worldwide tally that has already crossed $1.7 billion. Smaller titles like Runner and Daniel and the Fiery Furnace each scraped modest sums, but the real surprise came from the 40th‑anniversary re‑release of The Transformers: The Movie, which pulled in $3.1 million for its distributor.

For the Resident Evil franchise, the numbers signal a turning point. A strong opening paired with positive audience feedback suggests the film could enjoy a lengthy theatrical run, potentially out‑earning its predecessors by a wide margin.

Industry watchers will be watching the second‑week drop‑off closely. If the film maintains a typical horror decay rate, it could still finish well above the $150 million mark worldwide – a tidy return on its $80 million spend.

So far, the data points to a win for both the director and the studio. The next few weeks will reveal whether the momentum holds, but for now, Resident Evil has proven that a well‑handled sequel can still dominate the box‑office landscape.

And as the summer slate clears, the success of this horror entry may encourage studios to lean on proven talent rather than cheap reboots, a lesson that could reshape upcoming release strategies.