Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film is projected to earn $40 million to $50 million during its opening weekend in September, which would make it the highest‑grossing opening weekend for any Resident Evil movie released in theaters. Box Office Pro, a trade publication affiliated with the National Association of Theater Owners, compiled the figures based on current market models. The previous record for a Resident Evil opening weekend was set by Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010, when it earned $26.65 million. Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Resident Evil: Extinction each opened with about $23 million, while the original 2002 film opened with $17.7 million. The 2021 entry Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City earned less. Cregger said he chose not to create a direct adaptation of the video games. At San Diego Comic Con, he told IGN that he ‘took liberties’ with the source material and that he was not trying to replicate the games. ‘I am not trying to adapt a video game,’ he said. ‘I am not using the characters from the games. I am not telling a story that the games tell because I would not be able to improve on what the games already do.’ He added that the film follows an average person caught up in the Raccoon City incident, and that the script includes references to game elements such as shotgun shells from Resident Evil 4, first‑person action sequences, a typewriter, and the Umbrella Corporation. The movie runs one hour and 35 minutes and is being promoted as an uninterrupted thrill ride. The release is scheduled for September 18, and box office analysts will monitor actual attendance when the weekend arrives.