Resident Evil: Afterlife tops US box office
Fourth installment in Capcom-inspired film franchise takes in $27.7 million; best opening weekend for series to date.
On Friday, Resident Evil: Afterlife hit North American theaters after being savaged by critics. However, like the zombie hordes the film and its Capcom-published inspirations depict, moviegoers overran theaters to see the action-horror film.
Variety reports that Afterlife raked in $27.7 million over the weekend, a record opening for the film series. The original Resident Evil opened with $17.7 million in 2002, followed by Apocalypse with $23.0 million in 2004 and Extinction with $23.7 million in 2007. The Hollywood trade magazine pointed to Afterlife's IMAX and 3D presentations--which have higher ticket prices--as the reasons for the uptick in revenues.
Resident Evil: Afterlife once again stars Milla Jovovich as Alice, a heroine battling for survival in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Five years after the evil Umbrella Corporation's virus resulted in a large portion of the world's population becoming shuffling undead, she travels to Los Angeles to seek a safe haven. Naturally, though, things do not go according to plan.
Bad reviews aside, Afterlife is a rare financial success story for game-based films. Most that make it to the screen are critical and box-office bombs, such as Doom, BloodRayne, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, and Dungeon Siege: In the Name of the King. One of the most high-profile and best-reviewed game-based films to date, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, was a commercial disappointment despite a nearly $200 million budget and the backing of Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Hope remains, however, as a film set in the Warcraft universe is currently in preproduction with Spider-Man director Sam Raimi at the helm. The project has the support of both film studio Warner Bros. and production company Legendary Pictures (The Dark Knight, Watchmen, 300).
Content you might like…
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Preowned games on Xbox One decided by publisher
Microsoft confirms that it won't charge any fees for any titles eligible for resale. Full Story
- Posted Jun 7, 2013 7:00 am SST
-
Microsoft confirms required 24-hour check-in for Xbox One
Playing Xbox One games on somebody else's console will also require a check-in every hour. Full Story
- Posted Jun 7, 2013 6:41 am SST
Featured Stories
-
PlayStation 4 will cost $399
Sony confirms a $399/€399/£349 price for the PlayStation 4 hardware, $100 cheaper than Microsoft's Xbox One. Full Story
- Posted Jun 11, 2013 2:19 pm SST
-
New Halo coming to Xbox One; runs at 60fps
Will be coming in 2014. Full Story
- Posted Jun 11, 2013 2:11 am SST
-
Del Toro calls BioShock Infinite a 'mindf*ck'
Pan's Labyrinth director praises Ken Levine and Irrational Games for latest BioShock, says he would consider large-scale Pacific Rim game "God willing." Full Story
- Posted Jun 13, 2013 11:53 pm SST
-
Microsoft: Xbox One will be leading product people love and embrace
Xbox boss Don Mattrick believes concerns over connectivity are overblown, recommends Xbox 360 for those without an Internet connection. Full Story
- Posted Jun 12, 2013 8:52 am SST
-
New Mirror's Edge is open-world
EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau describes new project as "open-world action adventure game." Full Story
- Posted Jun 13, 2013 1:45 am SST
Related Game
Related Games
- Resident Evil 5
- Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 2
- Resident Evil
- Resident Evil 0
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
- Resident Evil: Dead Aim
- RE5: Gold Edition
- Resident Evil 4: iPad edition
- Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Edition
- Resident Evil: 10th Anniversary Collection
- Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares
- Resident Evil 4: LITE
- Resident Evil 5: Desperate Escape
- Resident Evil: Confidential Report File 3
- Resident Evil: Confidential Report File 4






