‘Resident Evil movies? I’ve never seen one’: Weapons director Zach Cregger on resurrecting the beloved zombie franchise

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Zach Cregger has broken both critical records and franchise box office highs with his unconventional Resident Evil reboot.

Director Zach Cregger's reboot of the Resident Evil film franchise has shattered opening weekend box office records for the series following a rapturous critical reception. The film, which critics have hailed as the highest-rated video game adaptation to date, arrives on the heels of Cregger's acclaimed horror hits Barbarian and Weapons. Despite its commercial and critical triumph, the filmmaker faced intense pushback from protective franchise fans after admitting he had never watched any of the earlier Resident Evil movies.

The reboot set a new franchise opening weekend record at the North American box office.
Reviews widely lauded the production as the highest-rated video game movie adaptation ever made.
Director Zach Cregger revealed he had never watched any of the previous Resident Evil film adaptations prior to helming the project.
Despite critical acclaim, Cregger acknowledged facing surprising early backlash from devoted fans of the 30-year-old video game series.

By the numbers

$46Mbox office gross of Cregger's debut film Barbarian

Timeline

Sep 16Initial reviews debut, celebrating the Resident Evil reboot as an energetic, comedy-infused horror thrill ride.
Sep 17Critics crown the production as the highest-rated video game film adaptation of all time.
Sep 18Director Zach Cregger admits surprise at enduring intense online backlash from protective fans of the gaming franchise.
Sep 20Cregger reveals he had never watched earlier Resident Evil movies while discussing his approach to resurrecting the property.
Sep 21The film shatters franchise box office records during its North American debut weekend.

Why it matters

Video game film adaptations have historically struggled with critical reception, frequently termed the 'video game curse.' Following breakthrough original horror successes with Barbarian and the Oscar-winning Weapons, Cregger's pivot to established intellectual property tested his unconventional filmmaking style on a mainstream legacy brand.

What outlets agree on

Outlets agree that the film has achieved unprecedented critical praise for a video game adaptation and set franchise box office records in its North American opening weekend.

Where coverage differs

While film critics universally praised the reboot as a raucous, high-energy success, long-time video game fans expressed skepticism and backlash toward Cregger's unconventional interpretation.

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