Resident Evil’s Reboot Posts the Franchise’s Biggest PH Day
Resident Evil opened in Philippine cinemas on September 17 and made ₱10,427,530 on its first day. That is the biggest single day the franchise has ever posted here, in standard, IMAX, and 4DX screenings combined.
Dethroning the reigning champion
The opening knocked Insidious: Out of the Further off the top of the local box office. That film had held the number one spot for four straight weeks. Resident Evil ended that run in a single day.
The man behind the scares
The reboot comes from Zach Cregger, who also directed Barbarian and Weapons. He wrote the script with Shay Hatten and cast Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier whose ordinary night turns into a fight to survive. Cregger has said his goal was full immersion. When horror is done well, he said, it commands all of your attention. It is completely immersive.
Critics are buying in
Reviews have been strong too. The film holds a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. TheWrap called it Cregger’s best work yet. Deadline described Abrams’ performance as a breakout role. Critics keep pointing to the same thing: the film builds tension through atmosphere and close quarters rather than jump scares, closer to the survival dread of the original games than the more action heavy films that came before it.
Resident Evil is showing now in standard, IMAX, and 4DX formats in Philippine cinemas.
