Resident Evil continues to hold court in China. The Constantin Film and Sony Pictures horror reboot kept the No. 1 spot at the mainland box office during the October 16–18 frame, pulling in RMB62.5 million ($9.3 million) in its second full weekend, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
Resident Evil (Credits: Variety)
Post-Holiday Frame Goes Quiet as Local Titles Fade
The frame was a typically quiet post-Golden Week corridor, with domestic titles winding down quickly. The horror franchise’s second weekend haul more than tripled the nearest competitor — local crime procedural Traces of Justice, directed by Chen Sicheng, held second place with $6.8 million in its third weekend and sits at $84.6 million total since its October 1 release. Beijing Joy Fun’s body-swap comedy Mr. & Mrs. Pardon took third with $4.1 million.
The reboot has now amassed a $55.8 million cumulative gross in China since rolling out on October 5 in the late stretch of the Golden Week corridor. That makes it a franchise record-breaker: the film’s worldwide total now stands at $320.2 million, overtaking 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter ($312.2 million) to become the highest-grossing entry in the eight-film series — powered in large part by China, which supplied nearly two-thirds of its global weekend.
Zach Cregger’s Reboot Keeps Breaking Records
The numbers keep setting new marks for director Zach Cregger: the film’s $40.6 million China opening was the best for a horror film there in two years, and it now surpasses his previous career high Weapons ($270.1 million worldwide) by roughly $50 million. Japan also contributed to the run, with the film opening at No. 2 there behind local phenomenon Chiikawa.
With the holiday competition fading and few big domestic releases filling the gap, the reboot looks set to keep collecting well into the month — further proof that the long-running video game horror brand still has serious bite in Asia.
Also Read: Cregger’s Resident Evil Opens at #2 in Japan as Chiikawa Reclaims Box Office #1
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
