Milla Jovovich as zombie fighter Alice in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil: Afterlife
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, the $60m actioner Resident Evil: Afterlife was the top movie at the North American box office this weekend (Sept. 10-12) — the year’s weakest weekend to date with an estimated $82m in revenues.
According to figures found at Box Office Mojo, the top ten movies grossed 35.4% less than a week ago. Earnings were down 52% compared to three weeks ago.
Resident Evil: Afterlife, which has 20% approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ "top critics," collected an estimated $27.7m, averaging $8,648 at 3,203 locations, about 2,000 of which are 3D screens and 164 are IMAX screens.
Largely due to inflation and 3D/IMAX surcharges, this fourth installment in the Resident Evil franchise had a stronger debut than its predecessors, all written by Anderson (who also directed the first installment) and starring Jovovich: Resident Evil: Extinction drew $23.67m at 2,828 theaters in 2007; Resident Evil: Apocalypse $23m at 3,284 sites in 2004; and Resident Evil $17.7m at 2,528 theaters in 2002.
The three previous Resident Evil flicks made considerably more cash overseas, where earnings ranged between 60%-65% of their worldwide take.
Additionally, each installment made more money abroad than its predecessor: $62m for Resident Evil, $78m for Apocalypse, $97m for Extinction. In North America, figures for the last two remained flat at about $50m.
A fifth Resident Evil, which will offer hungry audiences more new, original, innovative filmmaking, is all but inevitable.
Photo: Resident Evil: Afterlife (RAFY / Constantin Film International GmbH & Davis Films/Impact Pictures Inc.)
Rotten tomatoes and all those movie critics are full of sh**. They say it was dull and weak. OH PLZ. It had all the right scares and the right action in it. I loved this movie. Wouldn’t mind seeing it again as far as I’m concerned. Milla Jojovich was beautiful and great as ever. Its called AFTERLIFE so if they saying it lacked emotion I think its supposed to be that way! I think after lots of people are extinct from the earth and its the AFTERlife and there are only a few survivors left it would make sense for it to be less emotion. Stupid people. I was pissed off by the reviews.