Resident Evil Afterlife 3D opened at #1 worldwide upon it’s release on September 10th (last Friday), making it the latest installment in the action horror film franchise, based loosely on the hit Capcom videogames, to top the previous movie.
Sales of Resident Evil: Afterlife are the strongest in the history of the movie franchise (of which this is the fourth installment following Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Resident Evil: Extinction) with the film snagging just under $28 million on it’s debut opening weekend.
This put the film on top of the box-office chart, beating out the films: Machete, Takers and The American. Here is what the box office chart for last weekend looked like:
1. Resident Evil: Afterlife, 27.7 million dollars
2. Takers, 6.1 million dollars
3. The American, 5.9 million dollars
4. Machete, 4.2 million dollars
5. Going the Distance, 3.8 million dollars
6. The Other Guys, 3.6 million dollars
7. The Last Exorcism, 3.5 million dollars
8. The Expendables, 3.3 million dollars
9. Inception, 3 million dollars
10. Eat Pray Love, 2.9 million dollars
Here’s a trailer.
Not only did it top the box office charts, but it also significantly beat the previous movie, Resident Evil: Extinction which debuted #1 in the box office with $23 million back in September of 2007.
Afterlife is the first film in the franchise to be shot in stereoscopic 3D using James Cameron’s 3D Fusion Camera System, which also helped it achieve higher sales than 2D because of higher 3D ticket prices.
This bodes well for game-based films, as the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time movie opened #1 at box office as well earlier in the year; although the Jerry Bruckheimer film debuted with $38 million (putting it second on the chart behind Shrek: Forever After in retrospect) which hurt it since the movie’s budget was between $150-200 million. Whereas Resident Evil Afterlife had a budget of $60 million.
We are sure to see another Resident Evil film now since Afterlife is a success. While I haven’t seen Afterlife yet (I may go see it this weekend, it’s on my to-do list. Plus my sister really wants to see it as she’s a fan of the films). I am happy that this one performed the best as it looks to be the truest film to the game series with more characters from the games (including Wesker!) and a heavy influence from Resident Evil 5 incorporated into the movie.
Hopefully director Paul W. S. Anderson (who is married to main protagonist Alice, played by Milla Jovovich) will take the franchise even further in the direction of the games for the next movie.