It’s been 24 years since the first video game movie franchise began, and this year we might finally get a truly great adaptation. Historically, turning video games into movies hasn’t gone well. For years, it seemed impossible to please either gamers or general movie audiences. While some films like Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter gained a cult following, and others like Mortal Kombat had modest success, big-budget attempts like Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time largely disappointed. Interestingly, even one critically panned movie managed to launch a popular series.
The first Resident Evil movie came out on March 15, 2002, and it was a decent horror film, even though it didn’t really follow the story of the video game – it just shared some of the same creatures. While it started as a pretty good, scary movie, the series quickly became much more exaggerated. Sometimes the sequels would reference the game, but other times they strayed far from the source material.
Resident Evil Became a Success Despite Bad Reviews
The first Resident Evil movie premiered on March 15, 2022, and took a very different approach to the video games. It introduced a new character, Alice (played by Milla Jovovich), who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a zombie outbreak caused by the Umbrella Corporation. While the film kept the corporation and the monsters from the games, it focused on Alice as the main character, and this surprisingly worked well. The movie was known for its creative and graphic action sequences, and both Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez, who played Rain, delivered strong performances as the heroes battling the creatures.
The movie received largely negative reviews, earning a 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which initially suggested it would fail like many other video game adaptations. However, audiences seemed to enjoy it more, giving it a 67% rating – a significant difference. Despite not being a massive box office hit with $103 million worldwide on a $33 million budget, the film performed well enough for the studio to consider making sequels.
The main Resident Evil film series successfully concluded with six movies starring Milla Jovovich, finishing with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2017. Surprisingly, the last film was also the most financially successful, earning $314 million globally despite a relatively small $40 million budget. Despite their popularity with audiences, none of the films received positive reviews from critics, with the original being the second best-rated and the final installment scoring 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, a reboot planned for 2026 offers the potential for a more favorable critical reception.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is One of 2026’s Most Exciting Upcoming Horror Movies
A 2021 reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, didn’t fare much better with critics, earning a score of just 30%. While audiences gave it a 60% rating, indicating continued interest in the series, the film only grossed $41 million – the lowest box office result for any Resident Evil movie. The upcoming 2026 reboot is generating optimism, and the studio is banking on its new director to attract viewers.
Zach Cregger is quickly becoming a major name in horror filmmaking. After starting out as a comedian and member of the sketch group The Whitest Kids U Know, he’s now known for directing critically acclaimed horror movies. His 2022 film, Barbarian, earned a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. He followed that success with Weapons in 2025, which is even more popular, boasting a 93% critic score and an 85% audience score.
Some fans are worried about Zach Cregger’s take on Resident Evil because it’s been described as both funny and scary. While video game fans might not like the idea of comedy being added, many believe the franchise actually needs it. Those upset by this approach likely either didn’t enjoy the previous Resident Evil films starring Milla Jovovich or missed how over-the-top those movies already were. Cregger proved with Barbarian and Weapons that he can create truly frightening and intense horror, while also knowing when to use humor to relieve tension. If he’s achieved that balance in this new Resident Evil film, it could be one of the best horror movies of 2026 and finally deliver a truly great adaptation of the video game.
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2026-03-15 17:10