Resident Evil Officially Achieves A Franchise First
2026’s Resident Evil is the first movie since the film side of the series began to achieve one major milestone for the franchise, marking a major feat for the year and release alike. Adapting video game worlds effectively into film format is no easy feat despite the source material already providing visuals to adapt, as we’ve seen time and time again with divisively received video game movies.
Resident Evil has been the source of at least one such movie, with its extensive lore and intentionally over-the-top action sequences and monsters proving challenging for some film adaptations to adapt in a way that resonates with audiences, particularly when it comes to fans who are aware of all the various nuances that make the games themselves so beloved.
2026 marks a promising pinnacle for the film side of the franchise thus far, though, as the newest Resident Evil movie manages to outdo every movie installment in the overarching lineup of Resident Evil films to date in a way that serves to redefine what success looks like for this corner of the universe and its stories thus far.
2026’s Resident Evil Is The First Time A Movie In The Franchise Has Gotten A Solid Box Office & Review Scores
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While Resident Evil has had a range of movie adaptations that have reimagined the video game world into live-action and animated film form alike, the 2026 movie is the first to garner both a positive box office roster alongside some positive review scores.
Though the Resident Evil film roster has had some bigger box office releases, and some more well-received installments overall, the franchise has abstained from both because of its results overall.
For example, the current $361 million box office results of 2026’s Resident Evil are almost matched by Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which made $314 million. However, the 2014 film also garnered some decidedly more negative reviews, as can be evidenced to this day by the movie’s 39% critic score and 47% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Inversely, both Resident Evil: Damnation and Resident Evil: Death Island have far better review scores, but no box office whatsoever to speak of, given they didn’t have a theatrical release. As such, despite the Resident Evil series having produced movies since 2002, the 2026 film is the franchise’s first proper start of sorts in cinemas in many senses, making it an important chapter for the horror universe.
Why 2026’s Resident Evil Is The First Movie In The Series To Get These Results
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2026’s Resident Evil being the first in the film series’ lineup to do well at the box office and more universally with viewers seems somewhat par for the course given the overall setup and quality of the film in question.
Resident Evil‘s live-action story featuring major monsters and harrowing horror moments helps to ensure it’s a fit for fans who want to be scared. With that said, the movie being able to replicate the over-the-top nature of the franchise with its infected designs and the increasingly unlucky plight of protagonist Bryan is what helps it win over audiences best, especially since the film isn’t scared to bring in awful plot twists and surprising deaths to keep audiences on their toes.
With this in mind, 2026’s Resident Evil being the first in the series to be a success of sorts across the board does simply seem to show that it nailed everything it set out to achieve – and hopefully has been able to set the stage for further live-action Resident Evil movies and their prospective success.
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