Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is now available to rent or purchase digitally from services like Prime Video. The move to digital comes just over 45 days after the movie’s release in theaters, where the Capcom adaptation had quite the run.
After a monstrous opening weekend, Resident Evil climbed to the top of the list of highest-grossing video game movies. The zombie flick just crossed over $400 million at the global box office, and if it manages to pick up another $30 million, has a chance of breaking into the top 10 highest-grossing horror movies of all time.
Resident Evil Lands on Digital After Crushing Box Office Expectations
Resident Evil is now available to purchase digitally for $24.99. The film is also up for preorder on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, though the DVD release still doesn’t have a release date.
The path to Resident Evil’s box office glory hasn’t exactly been easy. Cregger himself recently spoke out about the disappointment he’s felt about the conversation centering entirely on the movie’s relationship to the Capcom games.
Before the movie was even released, early conversations were driven around what exactly Cregger would be adapting, and of course fans were demanding a direct adaptation of popular RE characters like Leon Kennedy. In Cregger’s words, early fan reactions made him feel like he was doing “an apology tour.”
Nonetheless, Cregger stood by his decision to adapt the “feeling of playing Resident Evil,” rather than any of the specific games, and in so doing, we believe captured a lot of what makes the games great.
We’re also of the opinion that it’s a great movie for movie’s sake, offering something to both dedicated fans of the games as well as newcomers just looking for some zombie action. In his review for IGN, Tom Jorgensen makes a direct address to those coming from the Capcom world: “Whatever your idea of what a good Resident Evil movie should be, I have to recommend to the skeptical to put that to one side and lock in for what Zach Cregger delivers.”
And what exactly does Cregger deliver? In Jorgensen’s words, “a jet-fueled horror experience that has room for lots of tension, some great laughs, and a strong central performance from Austin Abrams.”
Nonetheless, the movie’s release did spur increased interest in the gaming franchise, with Resident Evil 2 Remake sales on PS5 up more than 50% the week the movie dropped in theaters. This wider audience interest is just one piece of a particularly successful year for Capcom, which also saw the acclaimed releases of Resident Evil Requiem and, more recently, Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Studios are naturally eyeing more video game adaptation opportunities, with one producer from Resident Evil already turning his attention to a Silent Hill movie. Cregger himself said early on that this would be the end of his involvement in the Resident Evil franchise, but more recently stated he’d be willing to “have a hand” in future sequels.
In the meantime, Cregger will be following in the footsteps of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms by producing an adaptation of an internet horror legend, Siren Head.