Zach Cregger's Resident Evil has pushed through the backlash to collect an estimated $108.3 million globally in its opening weekend at the box office.

It's a franchise-best opening for the horror-comedy hybrid that saw it bring in $60 million domestically and $48.3 million internationally. That's a good hunk of change more than even some healthy projections, which had most expecting a $40-$50 million domestic opening for Resident Evil.

Starring Austin Abrams as an original character named Bryan who is thrust into the darkest pits of a suffering Raccoon City, Resident Evil's opening performance also secures its place as Cregger's biggest debut yet. His work on Barbarian earned $10 million in its opening weekend, while last year's Weapons pulled in a still-impressive $70 million. The film also features appearances from Zach Cherry (Severance), Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country), and Paul Walter Hauser (The Fantastic Four: First Steps).

There are a few things contributing to Sony, Cregger, and Resident Evil's success in theaters. While the Abrams-led flick aimed to deliver a story inspired by survival horror gameplay, the previous run of films starring Milla Jovovich typically strayed from including the elements gamers love about the IP.

Fans also largely agree that 2021's Welcome to Raccoon City, which came with a thick layer of video game references, failed to effectively pay homage to the franchise. Beyond Cregger's heavy-hitting resume, and regardless of the backlash leading up to his movie's release, fans have spent decades excited to see a Resident Evil movie not only show love to the Capcom series but deliver an experience based on what it's like to actually play its games.

Despite carrying Cregger's name and the Resident Evil brand into theaters, it has been somewhat of an uphill battle for the director's latest outing. Since the first trailers were released earlier this year, some fans have had a hard time accepting an adaptation that largely leaves behind familiar icons like Leon S. Kennedy and the T-Virus. While some were concerned about changes to the source material, which included a more modern setting and a snowy Raccoon City, early footage had other vocal viewers concerned Cregger wouldn't be able to land another hit horror film.

After its first weekend in theaters, however, Resident Evil has firmly defied expectations. Adding to its list of record-breaking box office stats, Resident Evil has mutated its way past Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to become the highest-rated video game movie of all-time, at least as far as Rotten Tomatoes is concerned. IGN gave it an 8/10 review, calling it "a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from director Zach Cregger’s sensibilities."

In other box office news, the domestic top five saw Resident Evil take first place, with Practical Magic in second, Spider-Man: Brand New Day in third, The Odyssey in fourth, and Coyote vs. Acme in fifth. Worldwide, Resident Evil maintained the top spot, with The Odyssey, Practical Magic 2, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Coyote vs. Acme following in that order. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has surpassed $1.72 billion at the global box office, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day has reached $2.47 billion.

Sony spent approximately $75 million to make Resident Evil, according to Variety. Though its marketing costs are unclear, it looks like a strong start for the franchise's return to theaters. For more on the movie, you can read about why fans shouldn't expect to see a "Cregger cut" with more jokes. You can also read about why the director said his film will make fans "feel seen," and you can check out IGN's top 10 horror movies of 2026.

Director Zach Cregger suggested we won't get a "Cregger cut" of Resident Evil, as fans call to see the jokes that got trimmed.

As reactions to the latest live-action video game adaptation have poured in, moviegoers have reported seeing a movie with more jokes than anyone expected. It's been a surprise for those who thought Cregger would lean harder on the horror, especially after the Weapons director teased that his version of Resident Evil had removed elements that test audiences thought made it "too funny."

The Resident Evil in theaters is one that cracks viewers up about as often as it scares them, and apparently, that's exactly the way Cregger likes it. During an interview with IGN and our guest host, streamer Valkyrae, the horror-comedy filmmaker said he feels "good about" the cut jokes amid calls for an extended cut of the movie with no quips left behind.

"It was the right move. It's funny; I saw somebody online was like, 'Release the Cregger cut!' I'm like, 'No, this is the Cregger cut,'" he said. "The Cregger cut is this without those jokes in it. It's fun to have moments of levity, but it needs to be a horror movie first and foremost, so I don't miss any of them."

Despite the conversations about video game references leading up to Resident Evil's release, the last few days haven't seen anyone talking quite as much about how the film fits into the lore. Instead, it's how it handles comedy that has fans launching threads online, with some appreciating its surprisingly light-hearted tone while others wish Cregger had cut even more of the jokes.

For better or worse, all of the laughs have even led some to call Resident Evil an outright horror-comedy. It's sparked debate online about how Cregger should have handled the tone as the Austin Abrams-led adaptation attracts audiences to theaters.

"Resident Evil WAS funny, but I think what a lot of people are missing is A LOT of the humor comes from the main characters' reactions to stuff and these aren’t the reactions typical to a video game character but instead the kind of reactions we the players have while playing," one review said.

"Far and away one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever seen, and also one of the best horror comedies I’ve ever seen," Collider's Perri Nemiroff said. "Cannot believe how many hilarious beats this movie has without ever diminishing the stakes or sheer terror of the situation."

It's unclear just how many jokes were left on the cutting room floor, but Cregger said he's happy with the result, regardless. Those hoping to see a version of the movie that's even funnier than the theatrical release may not want to get their hopes up too high, though.

"They're great," Cregger said of the cut jokes. "I just… it's better for the movie. You know, I come from comedy. I always want to celebrate – especially if somebody lands a really good joke. I don't want to take that out. I want them to have the win, but I have to think of the whole."

Resident Evil premiered September 18, 2026, and tells an original story inspired by Capcom's beloved survival horror video game IP. IGN touched on Cregger's approach to comedy in our 8/10 review.

"With a laser focus on putting its hero through the worst night of his life," we said, "Resident Evil is a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from director Zach Cregger’s sensibilities."

The Batman Part 2 director Matt Reeves has done his part to celebrate Batman Day by sharing a new image from the movie.

Another September means another Batman Day, and while we're still years away from seeing Robert Pattinson reprise his role as the Caped Crusader, that isn't stopping DC Studios from celebrating. Reeves did his part to get in on the festivities by ending another months-long social media hiatus with an ominous picture from the set of The Batman Part 2 in London.

If you've seen 2022's The Batman, you'll be happy to know even this early image from the movie teases a film that will feel right at home in the saga. What we see here appears to be the back of Pattinson's Bruce Wayne as he looks ahead into what seems to be a forest-y area. We can only really see his silhouette, but it's at least yet another confirmation that The Batman Part 2 will take place in and around the snow.

"Happy Batman Day to everyone from London!" Reeves said in his post.

Is there much we can confidently say this image reveals about the plot of Reeves' new movie? Well, no, but fans are still using the holiday as an opportunity to comb through every pixel of The Batman Part 2 image in hopes of deciphering any details about its plot and characters.

One rumored villain that has stuck in the years it's taken to get The Batman sequel into theaters revolves around Gotham's secret collection of evil elites, The Court of Owls. Recently leaked set photos only stoked those flames, with fans saying that, even if there aren't any owls to be found in the new set image, they're still looking for them.

Another theory circling the new Batman image has fans arguing about the area the Dark Knight is surrounded by. Some think trees, others see smoke, and some see cars. Popular The Batman Part 2 fan account @TheBatmanSagaNW believes the setting we see here is a junkyard filled with piled-up vehicles. If that's true, it could potentially be linked to another previous rumor regarding a junkyard that will show up in the movie. IGN tweaked the image's brightness and was able to make out a location that does resemble what we'd imagine a snowy Gotham junkyard to look like.

Oh my god this shot confirms that the Junkyard set is real!!! 🦇 https://t.co/suTSmR4uve pic.twitter.com/R9Qxj3iT1L

— The Batman Saga News (@TheBatmanSagaNW) September 19, 2026

ITS THE JUNKYARD
HES IN THE JUNKYARD https://t.co/b5OdEGj7OM

— Flo (@FloHasReturned) September 19, 2026

It's hard to make too much out right now, and with nearly a year and a half to go before the film's release and no sign of any trailers, it will likely be a while before we learn how Reeves' set image fits into place. Following some delays, The Batman Part 2 is currently scheduled to swoop into theaters February 18, 2028.

While we wait to see how it all ties together, you can check out a closer look at Pattinson's new Batsuit. You can also read about how the sequel's fight scenes have been more challenging for the star, and why he says the movie will take things in "another totally different direction."

We're big fans of horror here at IGN, so it’s been a blast to see so many fresh concepts and interesting adaptations hit the big (or small) screen in 2026. While we’ve yet to give a horror movie from this year a full 10/10, a solid spread of new movies, including box office hits and some lesser-known independent releases, have secured a place in our list of the top-reviewed movies of the year so far.

What exactly defines “horror” can always be debated, so we’ve included a mix of slashers, thrillers, and even some horror comedies. However you prefer to get your scares, there’s something worth watching on this list.

• 9/10 - Amazing
• 8/10 - Great

9/10 - Amazing

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From IGN's Review: "Sam Raimi drives the survival thriller genre to some amazing and sadistically giddy ends, with Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien along for the ride in the back seat cackling and stabbing each other the whole way through. Linda and Bradley’s ordeal creates immensely fertile ground for Raimi to interrogate the validity of first impressions with twists and turns of the plot and of various sharp objects that seldom tire. Sure, drag me to hell, but let's stop at this island on the way and have a freakin’ party with Linda and Bradley!" - Tom Jorgenson

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

From IGN's Review: "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is as much Jane Schoenbrun again at their best as it sees them taking us in surprising new directions. It’s sexual, sincere, silly, and sweet all at once – an earnest exploration of desire that’s deeply, movingly personal. For all the ways it could lose people in its messiness, Schhoenbrun and their strong cast hold it all together, building to an ecstatic climax that will only make you wish you could come back for more." - Chase Hutchinson

8/10 - Great

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

From IGN's Review: "Director Nia DaCosta crafts a great follow-up to last year’s 28 Years Later that’s gory and thoughtful in equal measure. There’s a wit and humor at play in The Bone Temple that elevates, in all the right ways, the dramatic stakes of a zombie apocalypse working on its third decade, especially in Ralph Fiennes’ record collection (I’d give the film a 666 if IGN would let me). While it might not be the best place to start watching the 28 Later franchise for the uninitiated, the creative force driving the series’ future have two solid movies as the foundation for whatever comes next." - Clint Gage

They Will Kill You

From IGN's Review: "They Will Kill You is another winner from director Kirill Sokolov that shows Zazie Beetz has all the chops to be an action star in her own right. With great stunt choreography and camerawork, it’s a shining example of how modern action ought to be constructed. With a supernatural, satanic twist that it fully capitalizes on, it’s a gonzo, gruesome, gutsy little gem." - Chase Hutchinson

Faces of Death

From IGN's Review: "The question of how and why you would even attempt to remake Faces of Death is given a compelling answer in this new remake. Using a postmodern meta take on both the original film and how it was perceived, the movie reflects a world where rather than hunting down a specific VHS tape to see people supposedly really die, you can now find exactly that type of content immediately by simply going on the internet…and that is far from a comforting thought!" - Eric Goldman

Obsession

From IGN's Review: "Thanks to fantastic turns by Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, you'll be addicted to this sour Valentine's Day counterprogramming. The film plays on familiar romance and monkey's paw tropes, turning a wish against the wishee, but Barker's execution takes things to the next level. In the film's simplicity lay the chance to go for broke, putting all efforts into the lengths Nikki is willing to go for her beloved." - Matt Donato

Backrooms

From IGN's Review: "Backrooms expertly expands on the conceptual groundwork of the YouTube series with smart visual composition, beautifully terrifying production design, a complex protagonist, and a return to Kane Parsons’ roots of computer generated sequences that pack a serious punch. The film also opens the doors to some compelling pathways to deepen the lore even more, if newcomers are willing to meet the film on its level, where it isn’t going to spoon-feed anyone." - Lex Briscusco

Leviticus

From IGN's Review: "Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus is an involving, meaningful, and legitimately creepy horror movie. Chiarella’s story about gay youth being punished for simply being the way they are is emotional and thoughtful while also simply working well as a horror story, blending the real-life prejudices that inspired it with the supernatural curse laid upon its characters in a highly effective manner." - Eric Goldman

It Ends

From IGN's Review: "It Ends manages to be both creepy and amusing thanks to its likable cast and filmmaker Alexander Ullom’s ability to exploit minimal resources to maximum effect. This is a movie that takes place in a car. In the woods. That’s it! And yet it’s scary, the characters really grow on you, and it also poses some self-aware and probing questions that will at the very least have you putting on the Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures when you’re done." - Scott Collura

Resident Evil

From IGN's Review: "With a laser focus on putting its hero through the worst night of his life, Resident Evil is a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from Zach Cregger’s sensibilities. Austin Abrams is exceedingly charming as the woefully outmatched medical courier Bryan as he’s dragged through a hellish coterie of well-realized mutants and monsters by Cregger, whose good eye for creature effects, mounting dread, and signature humor all leave Resident Evil feeling very well represented." - Tom Jorgenson

A live-action Lollipop Chainsaw movie is officially in the works, developer Dragami Games has announced.

The studio behind the series revival announced plans to bring Juliet Starling to the big screen as part of Tokyo Game Show 2026, with full details shared by Deadline. It's yet another addition to the series as Dragami moves ahead with other previously announced installments, including an anime series and video game sequel.

The Lollipop Chainsaw movie will tell a prequel story set before the events of developer Grasshopper Manufacture's original bubblegum action game. It's also aimed to be an "R-rated action comedy" and will, once again, follow Juliet as the main character. Deadline also shared a brief story synopsis: "When a catastrophic zombie outbreak engulfs her school, Juliet must fight her way through the undead to save her friends, protect her family, and somehow keep her boyfriend Nick close – even if doing so ultimately requires some highly unconventional arrangements."

Dragami's film is said to be in development from an "international creative and production team" that includes Nada Holdings' Joe Teng, former ZDF Studios drama boss Robert Franke, Throne Inc MD Takafumi Yuki, Ambitious Entertainment's Kirk Shaw, and Non Stop TV's Patricio Rabuffetti. There is no word on whether original team members like Suda51 or now-DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn are involved, suggesting that, at least at this stage, they aren't attached in any capacity.

"We are truly excited to see our vision take another important step with the franchise’s first live-action feature film," Dragami president Shohei Sato said. "We are especially pleased to be working with such an experienced and passionate international team — one that understands what makes Lollipop Chainsaw special while embracing the opportunity to create something new."

Lollipop Chainsaw has been on a bit of a tear despite largely straying from the public eye for the last decade or so. Although it's firmly kept its place as a cult classic and fan-favorite Suda51 game, it wasn't until Dragami announced its RePop remaster in 2022 that Juliet started to turn heads once again. Whether an attempt to reanimate the franchise will succeed remains to be seen, though.

After RePop finally launched in 2024, Dragami announced plans to continue the series with new installments in the near future. The most recent peek at what exactly that entails actually arrived earlier this week with the reveal of Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back. First gameplay has revealed a project that looks both familiar and extremely different, leaving fans hesitant to see can stick the landing without Suda51 or Gunn's help.

The announcement that a Lollipop Chainsaw movie has encouraged similar responses from fans. For now, no information about the project's cast or release date has been revealed.

"We are making a film that feels unmistakably true to the spirit of Lollipop Chainsaw while standing completely on its own," Franke said. "Longtime fans will recognize the attitude, irreverence, and glorious excess they love, while newcomers can simply enjoy an unforgettable action-horror comedy. Our ambition is to create a film that entertains audiences everywhere, whether they’ve played the game or not."

It looks like we've got some waiting to do while Dragami revs up its Lollipop Chainsaw movie. Until then, you can read IGN's 5/10 review for the original game, where we said it "doesn’t even attempt to differentiate itself from the genre, and most of what it does try new in the realm of its characters and writing ultimately ends up taking away from an incredible-on-paper action game.

"The music and sidekick are really all you can rely on to stay great from start to finish. The rest of Lollipop Chainsaw is all over the place before it ultimately settles for mediocrity and disappointment."

The Resident Evil movie reboot has finally arrived, coming from one of the biggest names in horror these days, filmmaker Zach Cregger, who previously wowed fans with his films Barbarian and Weapons. And he certainly seems to be off to a good start with Resident Evil -- we gave it an 8 out of 10 here at IGN, it's in the 90s on both the Rotten Tomatoes critics and audience scores, and it's on track to be a winner at the box office as well.

IGN's own Tom Jorgensen recently sat down with Cregger and the film's star Austin Abrams -- who plays Bryan, a medical courier with some serious bad luck -- to discuss the divided fan response to the film before it came out, how Cregger and his team went about evoking a true "video game feel" with the reboot, how Abrams almost got killed by a 150-pound bag of blood during production (!), and much more.

You can watch the discussion at the video above, or read it all right here...

Tom Jorgensen for IGN: There is a little bit of a conversation going on about this movie about to what degree it's staying faithful to the games.

Zach Cregger: A little bit of a conversation?

IGN: A tiny, little bit of a conversation.

ZC: Wow. Okay. That's putting it lightly.

IGN: Have there been unexpected challenges in convincing people this is the way to do this?

ZC: Yeah. I mean, of course. I think I was naive when I... I thought that fans of these games like me would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie. And I was like, “That's great.” I did not really appreciate the sentiment [of] “We've been waiting forever for Leon's story.” And I appreciate that. And I'm sorry that that's not the story that I'm bringing here. I mean, I get it. I understand the frustration.

I understand it so well because I haven't seen the earlier movies, because they don't look like the Resident Evil that I love. You know what I mean? So how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude? My only hope is that they will see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I'm not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well, and that they will feel seen when they do watch the movie and they will recognize all of the love for the games that is in this movie because it is there. And this is not just me telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story. I understand the resistance. I really do, because I have it myself. But it is coming from a true place of love.

IGN: I think historically video game adaptations have really struggled to translate the active experience of playing a video game into more of a passive experience [of] watching a film. How did that inform your choice to lean a little bit away from the specifics of exactly what happens in the Resident Evil games and more into how it feels to play them?

ZC: Well, there's a lot of answers to that question. The first thing that comes to mind is the camera work. I'm using the language of the games in the camera work. So I'm staying rooted in that third-person, over the shoulder with a big wide lens [style], which is how all of these games are. That's their language. And so that was a really fun thing, is to just almost one-to-one the visual language of the games in there.

And then to utilize the pacing of the games, the survival horror, the dread, the journey on foot where you're entering this terrifying scenario, and you have two shotgun shells and you're wounded. And that is such a fun, loaded, cinematic element that the games have done so well since the beginning, but the movies don't really seem to be concerned with. And so I wanted to make a survival horror movie and pick up on all those things. I utilize the setting and the t-Virus and the Umbrella Corporation, all of those little ingredients that make Resident Evil, Resident Evil – that's the bedrock of this movie as well. Another aspect [is] the length of the games, like weapon progression, starting with a pistol, graduating to the shotgun, graduating to the MP5. The increasingly dangerous enemies and mutants that you encounter.

Austin Abrams: The language, too, that you were talking about, just the camera and the angles of figuring out that dance, especially if it is over the shoulder or something of where to move and have the [camera] operator... We're moving around and we're doing a lot of things in one take. So getting that choreography right, but also doing it in a way that feels…

ZC: Spontaneous, yeah…

AA: ...fresh and dynamic, was just another aspect to it that was tricky to do.

IGN: What conversations were you having with your DP and your camera department on this? Was it important that they have experienced and played the games, or were these conversations that you were able to have more on set just practically speaking in terms of how to achieve that look?

ZC: No, I don't need my camera department to have played the games. I'm the captain of what we see, so I'm going to make sure that we have the right lens and that we are moving correctly. So no, that's on me. They need to make sure it's lit well, but I'm the boss of how it moves and what lens is picked.

James is our camera operator who came straight from The Odyssey, where he was lugging that giant IMAX thing around. And so now he had a normal-size camera and he was able to be really agile with it. I think he felt really liberated. And he's played video games because most people in our age [group] and younger have grown up on video games. So we all fundamentally understand the visual language of these games. And so it was a fun challenge for him to anticipate his attention and get there in time and tag these data points together. It was a really cool thing and it feels game-like.

AA: And I'll say that's why I felt comfortable going into it, because I knew that [Zach] was so passionate about it and had played so many hours of it. So he really knew the language of the games, and so that he could really be the captain. And I mean he really was … being very clear with everyone like, “No, this is what needs to happen and this is what needs to happen.”

I think [he was] really protecting the games in that way and protecting especially how you feel while you're playing the games. … If it was someone else that wasn't as much of a fan, that wasn't as passionate about the games, I wouldn't have felt comfortable.

IGN: You mentioned in our breakdown of the first trailer that there's only two or three scenes in this movie that are really leaning into zombies or vanilla zombies. Why was that important to you for this movie to not really focus on zombies?

ZC: It's not that that was not important. As I was writing the story, it's just the story. I'm a big fan of letting the story tell itself to me, and this is the way the story naturally unfolded. I think I maybe shouldn't have said that, because I think there are more scenes than I mentioned that have zombies. I didn't expect people to really grab onto that as a bad thing. You don't know what the other things are, so how can you get mad at this yet? The t-Virus is more interesting than just zombies. You know what I mean? The t-Virus can do all sorts of fascinating things with organic matter. So why would I not utilize that as much as possible? So I'm surprised that I have as many scenes as I do where zombies are just zombies.

IGN: Austin, you're playing a character original to this world. You're getting to start from scratch on that. Was that freeing for you, knowing that you didn't have to live up to some specific expectation from the game?

AA: Yeah, definitely … because it makes it so that you can go any direction. So we could really just come up with whatever was feeling right, and what felt also the most interesting to watch. I feel like a more interesting person to watch go through this experience is someone that doesn't know what they're doing, and also just wants the best almost for everyone and is a good-hearted person that then has to face all of these horrors. To me, [that] felt like a fun thing to watch.

IGN: Were there any other horror movie performances that you looked to for inspiration and how to build Brian and how capable he is in this world?

AA: I'm not sure. There wasn't necessarily horror movie inspirations, but there was... I think we found as we were going that there were character inspirations. And we've talked about this, but one being Marty McFly a little bit, and then Kevin McCallister and then John McClane…

IGN: The holy trifecta.

ZC: Opposite ends of the spectrum.

AA: …and oscillating between the three of those guys. So that did become an inspiration. But I wouldn't say earlier on that there was necessarily a horror movie inspiration. But definitely more in the vein of the person that is just ill-equipped to deal with it, which just makes it more fun I think for everyone.

IGN: Because your previous films have messed a little bit with narrative structure and moved things around a little bit, what new challenges as a director did you run into in maintaining one thread of momentum right through to the end? And then, Austin, how do you support that in your performance? How do you shoulder all that momentum?

ZC: I mean the answer's in the question, right? It's like, is it possible to make a movie that is adrenalized for 85% of the movie? There are a couple of moments of little lulls here and there, but really, this movie is like tension, release, tension, release, tension, release. Can you stick with that for the runtime? That is a unique challenge. Weapons or Barbarian have their moments, but they also have all these story-building lulls in there that I love. But this movie, the goal in the challenge was “Let's floor it and let's never stop flooring it.” And that was hard. Hard on you.

AA: Yeah. Well, and the aspect of that too is keeping in mind like, “Okay, where am I right now in this journey? Am I starting to get a little bit more comfortable maybe with the weapons or am I…” Because you're having all these reactions to these crazy things, and it's just doing your best to make them all feel unique, but also feel like there's a progression here, especially when it's like, “Okay, well I've been surprised by a ton of monsters,” so it's like, “Can we do this in a new way or is it still hitting me in the same way, or am I a little bit more used to it now?”

ZC: You have to be cognizant that you're not just doing the same thing over and over. We need to build an arc into it. And that's hard when everything that keeps happening is like level 10. But, I think he did.

IGN: My favorite story that I have heard from the set of this film so far is that during the zombies off the roof scene, Austin, you were nearly taken out by a 150-pound bag of blood, I believe. Did you clock that in the moment as you were running or was that like a, “Hey, you got to come to playback and check something out, dude.”

AA: I remember running and then being like, “Oh, whoa, that was close.” But I kept to my line and thankfully there weren't any slips or anything like that. And then afterwards people being like, “Oh dude, that was…”

ZC: I remember bringing him to the monitor and being like, “Watch this.”

ZC: And it's in the movie.

IGN: Can either of you remember the first time in your life that you really truly had the shit scared out of you by a video game?

AA: I feel like I was playing Dead Space, I think. I remember that just really... I think I tried playing it, and I just couldn't make it through it actually. Yeah, it just really freaked me out.

ZC: Not the first time, but the most effective was Resident Evil 8. I played in VR, and that baby in the basement. It actually scared me so bad I had to stop. And I don't think I've ever noped out of anything as an adult, but that did it. … In VR, dude, it was too intense.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Paramount's World War Z sequel is moving forward, with Brad Pitt confirmed to return and Conclave's Edward Berger attached to direct.

It's two major updates for the post-apocalyptic zombie follow-up that arrived via Deadline. The site said that deals are closed, confirming that World War Z 2 – or whatever it ends up being called – has already nailed down two of the biggest question marks following its announcement in April of this year.

Deadline also reported that Plan B Entertainment's Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner will produce, with Berger also in the mix as an executive producer. Another update is that Dennis Kelly, the creator of TV series Utopia and writer behind 2021's Together, will pen the World War Z sequel's script. It otherwise still seems to be in the early days for the project, as no additional details regarding its plot, release date, or casting have been revealed.

The World War Z IP is being reheated 13 years after the original film successfully introduced audiences to a live-action adaptation of Max Brooks' 2000s novel. Pitt starred in the first film and has expressed interest in returning to the franchise for some time, but getting it off the ground and back into the zombie horde has proven to be quite the challenge for the last decade. As his roles in movies like Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood and F1 have come and gone, so too have hopes for the sequel.

Issues with confirming a director aside, fans started to expect that a follow-up would never come to be when Paramount put it on the back burner in 2019. The Social Network and Zodiac director David Fincher was even said to be involved at one point, but despite him comparing his ideas for a take to The Last of Us, that version of World War Z never materialized. Berger has now taken the reins.

Berger turned heads when Conclave premiered in 2024, but he's got more than just the Ralph Fiennes movie under his belt. He also directed 2022's critically acclaimed war film All Quiet on the Western Front, as well as 2014's Jack. He's also said to be involved with Matt Damon's new Jason Bourne movie, though that particular project's status is somewhat of a mystery.

The specifics surrounding Pitt's return to World War Z are unclear. Although the events of the first film could put his character, Gerry Lane, front and center once again, story information has not been revealed. When World War Z 2 does come out, it will mark a reunion for Pitt and Berger, who recently worked together on The Riders. Deadline reported that the former pitched the idea of more World War Z to the latter while working on the project, with the pair ready to get to get back to work by the time production came to an end.

The World War Z sequel has no release date, but at the speed things are moving at now, it may not be too long before we hear more. While we wait, you can read IGN's 7.6/10 review for the original movie, which earned $540 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). You can also see why the developers behind the World War Z video game might feel at least partially responsible for the existence of a sequel.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images.

Reacher star Alan Ritchson is reportedly in talks to star in PlayStation's upcoming Helldivers movie.

As reported by Deadline, the feature film adaptation of Arrowhead Game Studios' brutal multiplayer hit is zeroing in on a new lead after Aquaman actor Jason Momoa exited the project earlier this year. Ritchson is only said to be in talks for the unnamed Helldivers role so far, but Sony and director Justin Lin will want to move fast if they still want to hit their video game-to-movie adaptation's November 2027 drop date.

Ritchson has emerged as one of the more memorable action faces in the last decade. Although he's best known as the face of Prime Video's Reacher series, he's also shown up in Supergirl, Titans, and Fast X. Most recently, viewers may recognize him from his work in Netflix's War Machine or in this month's Owen Wilson movie, Runner.

Plot details for the Helldivers movie remain tightly under wraps as the crew tries to pin Ritchson behind the scenes. Sony announced plans to bring the battle for Super Earth to the big screen back in January 2025, and although things seemed to be progressing smoothly enough since, a few snags have kept it from landing.

For example, Lin, the director behind some The Fast and the Furious movies, boarded Helldivers in December of last year. Momoa then followed as Sony nailed down a release date in February of this year.

As much sense as it would make to see Momoa buzzing through Terminids and Automatons in the name of liberty, the DC and Game of Thrones star was said to have bailed on Helldivers in June. Why he departed the movie still remains unclear, though fans probably aren't too beaten up over the idea now that Ritchson could be the one to suit up.

Helldivers is still careening toward its November 10, 2027, theatrical release date. While Sony and Ritchson hammer out the details, you can read about how Arrowhead is involved in the production and what its CEO had to say to the director.

Photo by Kierra Thorn/Getty Images.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil is out today, and it's already the highest-rated video game movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes.

The scores are in, and at least as far as the review-aggregating website is concerned, the latest shot at a live-action adaptation of Capcom's beloved survival horror series has received the best reaction of any game movie to date. Resident Evil, which was directed by Weapons' Cregger and stars Austin Abrams, boasts a 96% critics' rating at the time of this story's publication, placing it multiple percentage points above a shortlist of other well-received adaptations, including Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (86%), Werewolves Within (86%), and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (72%).

Video games have a long history of what has been deemed by many to be mediocre releases. Although many of those — including 2001's Tomb Raider and 1993's Super Mario Bros. — arrived early in the industry's life, recent years have had their fill of poorly received projects, too. Both Five Nights at Freddy's movies, despite pulling in plenty of love from audiences, failed to impress critics, and 2024's Borderlands fell just 11 places short of being the worst-rated video game movie of all time. What we're saying is that it's not exactly been stiff competition for Resident Evil, but don't let that dampen its impact.

Despite Cregger making a splash with his last two horror movies, the director has faced an uphill battle with his latest flick. Fans expecting the movie to stick closer to the lore were let down to see Abrams playing an original character in a live-action Raccoon City that looked a bit different than they may have been hoping for. Instead of Leon S. Kennedy, Nemesis, or any other familiar elements, the live-action Resident Evil instead opted to focus on new character Bryan in a story inspired by the feeling of playing the games rather than their stories.

"I did not really appreciate the sentiment that, ‘We’ve been waiting forever for Leon’s story.’ And I appreciate that, and I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing," Cregger said during a recent conversation with IGN. "I get it, I understand the frustration. I understand it so well because I haven’t seen the earlier [Resident Evil] movies, because they don't look like the Resident Evil that I love, so how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude?"

It's been controversial, to say the least, but despite the online backlash that's seeped into Cregger's world, the critics aren't the only ones finding something to love about Resident Evil. After more than 500 verified ratings, Rotten Tomatoes has recorded a staggering 91% score from audiences. Whatever hangups you may have thought audiences would have going in, it seems the film has proven too good for most to deny.

"My only hope is that they’ll see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I’m not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well, and they will feel seen when they do watch the movie, and they will recognize all of the love for the games that are in this movie, because it is there," Cregger added during his talk with IGN. "This is not me just telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story."

Resident Evil is still just getting its feet wet when it comes to its reception, so only time will tell if it will continue to be seen in a positive light in the weeks, months, and years ahead. It's undeniably a strong start, though, with the project also expected to clear the franchise's box office record.

IGN gave it a solid rating, too, awarding it an 8/10 review. We said, "With a laser focus on putting its hero through the worst night of his life, Resident Evil is a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from director Zach Cregger’s sensibilities."

Halo: The Fall of Reach was first released back in 2001, launching a couple weeks before the first Halo game came out in November of that year. Serving as the official prequel to the series, Eric Nylund's novel tells the story of how Master Chief came to be and what led to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Since the book's original release 25 years ago, it has received several revised versions and editions. And now for the first time ever, it's getting the full-cast audio treatment thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio. You can check out IGN's exclusive audio clip for an idea of what to expect.

The full-cast audiobook is set to release on November 10, 2026 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Halo franchise. The voice cast includes Steve Downes and Jen Taylor reprising their roles as Master Chief and Cortana. It also includes an immersive sound experience that integrates things like the Halo theme song and the ridiculous sounds of Grunts running away terrified. Here's the official story description from the publisher page:

"The twenty-sixth century. Humanity has expanded beyond Earth’s system to hundreds of planets that colonists now call home. But the United Earth Government and the United Nations Space Command is struggling to control this vast empire. After exhausting all strategies to keep seething colonial insurrections from exploding into a full-blown interplanetary civil war, the UNSC has one last hope. At the Office of Naval Intelligence, Dr. Catherine Halsey has been hard at work on a top-secret program that could bring an end to the conflict…and it starts with seventy-five children, among them a six-year-old boy named John. And Halsey could never guess that this child will eventually become the final hope against an even greater peril engulfing the galaxy—the inexorable confrontation with a theocratic military alliance of alien races known as the Covenant."

Get it for free with an Audible Trial

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Saga Arts, and Fathom Entertainment announced Friday that tickets are now on sale online and at participating box offices for the 20th Anniversary theatrical re-release of V for Vendetta, which will be in theaters nationwide on November 1 and 5, 2026.

The news was accompanied by a new trailer for the re-release, which can be viewed below. The trailer features an anniversary-inspired reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture by Jonathan Snipes of the experimental hip-hop group clipping.

Based on the iconic DC Vertigo graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, the 2004 film was directed by James McTeigue and produced by the Wachowskis.

The movie, like the graphic novel, is set in a futuristic totalitarian Britain where a young working class woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) encounters a masked freedom fighter known only as “V” (Hugo Weaving). Stephen Rea and John Hurt also star.

The 20th anniversary screenings will include Freedom Forever, an exclusive featurette where director McTeigue reflects on the making of the film and its relevance twenty years later.

“The award-winning V for Vendetta graphic novel led to one of the most provocative films in the early 2000s. Twenty years later, V for Vendetta still asks the questions that matter: about freedom, identity, and who gets to speak up. Fathom is thrilled to bring this great movie back to theatres, featuring an exclusive new conversation with director James McTeigue for a whole new generation of audiences,” said Shannah Miller, Vice President of Marketing at Fathom Entertainment in a statement.

V for Vendetta has found its way on many IGN lists in the years since it came out, including our picks for the 15 best R-rated superhero movies, the 25 best superhero movies, and the darkest superhero movies ever made.

Heads up, horror fans. Zach Cregger’s 2026 movie Resident Evil may have just hit theaters, but the 4K steelbook edition is already up for preorder (see it at Amazon). The MSRP is $44.99, and the release date is TBA, presumably depending on how the film does in cinemas around the world. Still, if you want this special edition, I would recommend preordering soon, because 4K steelbooks of popular movies often sell out well before release.

Resident Evil - 4K Steelbook Edition

We learned earlier this week that the US has deployed its first secretive space weapon in orbit above Earth. Now, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the United States military must be prepared to one day fight battles on the moon. Or real close to the moon, depending on how the term “cislunar” is read.

As reported by Defense One, General Dan Caine made the following remarks in his recent keynote address at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference.

“Our task, my friends, is to adapt right now, so the Joint Force is prepared to fight, endure, and win, in global contested environments, from the seabed to cislunar space,” Caine said, later adding that “today’s modern battlefield operates from the seabed to cislunar space.”

But as Defense One points out, the definition of cislunar is vague when it comes to US law. Is it the region of space just outside of the moon or does it include the surface of the moon itself? Depends on who you ask, it seems.

There are, however, existing international agreements meant to restrict human activity on the moon to be “exclusively for peaceful purposes.”

The US already agreed to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 that bans the building of lunar military bases, as well as any weapons testing or military exercises on the moon. Countries that signed the treaty can only use military personnel on the moon for “scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited.”

Concerns about the possibility of a future conflict in space or on the moon stems from the ongoing rivalry between the US and China.

“The U.S. needs better capabilities in cislunar space to ensure China complies with that obligation and doesn’t militarize the moon,” Aaron Brynildson, a space law professor at the University of Mississippi, told Defense One. “There’s a real coverage gap by the U.S. that needs closing.”

Brynildson fears it might already be too late to clarify existing space law language in regards to military actions outside of our planet: “Ultimately, I think the first space conflict might be the time when most of these rules get written.”

Some very minor spoilers for Resident Evil (2026) follow:

Video games are ridiculous. The Resident Evil series is a perfect example of this. One moment you’re running in terror away from a comically oversized trench-coated tank of a man in a tiny hat; the next, you’re messing around with electronic chess pieces in order to open a door. These are completely alien situations that, somehow, these games make us feel compelled to navigate through rational thought. This is what Zach Cregger understands about Capcom’s genre-defining series so well. His Resident Evil movie knows that this is all ridiculous, and so the film has its lead, Brian, progress through its 90-minute rollercoaster just as we would if we had a controller in our hands. It’s a fantastic translation of the sensation that playing a survival horror game grants us, never forgetting to include every piece of glorious nonsense that comes with it.

Austin Abrams really is fantastic as Brian, a thoroughly normal guy thrust into a scenario he’s only ever seen on screens. “Video games!”, he shouts after solving a problem, almost surprising himself by the way video game logic has seeped into his mind and exploded into life in the real world. His original character is as close to a proxy for the viewer as you could wish for in a Resident Evil film, evoking the feeling we feel as players, rather than watching the events unfurl from the perspectives of established protagonists such as Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy. That choice is the real masterstroke from Cregger, and it’s where so much of Resident Evil’s humour comes from.

When I visited the Prague set of the movie back in December of 2025, the director told me, “It’s like if I were thrust into a Resident Evil video game. I’d be totally unequipped. I’m not good with guns. I’m totally out of shape. It would just be me panicking from one situation to another.” That description perfectly matches how Brian acts in the movie, hilariously bemoaning having to climb flights of stairs which stretch into the sky, running and screaming just long enough for terror to turn into humour, and self-proclaiming to be “not a gun guy,” despite having to learn on the job very quickly.

Brian stumbles his way through his journey to the heart of Raccoon City, never quite believing what he’s seeing happen in front of him. A combination of the unrelenting pace Cregger injects into the movie and the expressiveness of Abrams’ eyes make for laughs even in its most tense of moments. On the rare occasion that it does slow down for a beat, it's often to hold on Abrams' face as he attempts to take in exactly what shape of body horror he’s been subjected to witnessing next. He acts just like we do when playing the games, watching wide-eyed as whatever monster Capcom has concocted emerges from a freshly beheaded corpse. Normal logic would suggest you’d run straight for the door, as you likely would in real life. But in video games, you feel invulnerable, able to face up to the horrors presented to us. Cregger knows this feeling all too well from his repeat playthroughs of Resident Evil 4, a classic that most accurately hits the sweet spot in finding joyful absurdity in survival horror.

RE4’s opening village section has long been held as one of the most iconic introductions to any game. The delicate balance of creeping dread found in an all-too-quiet rural location is shattered by the tolling of bells and the sudden onrush of a population who have seen far better days. The Resident Evil movie sings from the same hymn sheet, steadily cranking up the tension before the action truly kicks off. This time, instead of a bell signalling a shift in tone, the bark and unearthly bite of a dog is the moment Brian knows things are about to get silly. He may not have the physical skills to pull off a Leon Kennedy-esque roundhouse kick to the head of an undead pensioner — again, this is a very silly video game series — but he does unload a shotgun blast into one that leaves their brain as nothing but red goo on a wall. Brian is having a bad time, but I’d be lying if I said much of the theater wasn’t laughing.

Cregger may only be three feature films deep into his career as a horror director, but already appears to have perfected the art of punctuating moments of terror with humour like this. It should come as no surprise to any who have seen either Barbarian or Weapons — two deeply unsettling movies at times, but also darkly hilarious when he chooses for them to be. The exact same can be said for Resident Evil, which, while never allowing Brian to shoot off quippy one-liners like Mr Kennedy would do, does give the character his fair share of funny moments, more often than not reflecting how we react when playing the games. You’re more likely to be faced with some sort of ungodly foe and find the word “damn” escaping from your mouth, as Brian does in one particularly funny moment, than speak in full sentences. It’s that reaction to the absurd from Abrams that carries the action so well, in many ways echoing the enjoyment that can be found in watching your favourite Twitch streamer play through a Resident Evil game, and the unscripted moments that come from it.

And let’s be honest: Much of the joy in watching other people play games can come from when things go wrong. Schadenfreude is a hell of a drug. Just as it can be funny when people fall off an arena when only one hit away from finishing off a boss, Resident Evil finds the fun in Brian’s failures. It’s much more interested in people being bad at their jobs rather than seasoned professionals — perhaps most keenly observed in how much more of the script is given to Paul Walter Hauser’s hapless company man than Kali Reis’ expert operative. There’s a fantastic running joke when it comes to Brian’s battle against padlocks — a very fun play on the Resident Evil games’ obsession with locked doors and the ludicrous methods of opening them. Here, instead of having to examine centuries-old paintings or slot precious gems into statues, he simply takes them on with a gun, often resulting in hilarious outcomes.

It’s just one example of how Cregger’s movie takes the essence of a Resident Evil game and plays with our expectations, all with the aim of making us laugh. It doesn’t quite completely resist the odd Easter egg item sitting in a room, but it is far more interested in translating the experience of playing the survival horror game than feeding fans little winks and nods. You can really tell that it comes from not only a deep love of Capcom’s games, but of video games in general and the ridiculous nature of them. Speaking of which, Cregger’s fun twist on a Resident Evil stalker enemy brings to mind the wondrous madness of Inside’s ending, which makes Playdead’s puzzle platformer so special, and the snowball-like splendour that powers the silliness behind the Katamari series.

Only video games regularly attempt to blend the mundanity of searching through every drawer in a house for shotgun shells to only moments later have to fire them into a creature unlike anything we’ve seen before, and then ask us to carry on as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened. This occurs dozens of times to Brian on his night through hell, and yet he perseveres, almost laughing off the absurdity of it all with us while evading death at every turn. That “video games!” he proclaims in that one rare moment of success may be spoken by Abrams, but feels directly delivered by Cregger to us. It sums up the movie perfectly, showing the filmmaker’s love for the, frankly silly, source material we all love so much.

Just like video games, Resident Evil is ridiculous, but in all the best ways. It’s an adaptation done in the right spirit, not interested in replicating a story beat-for-beat, but in trying, and succeeding, in reproducing the same joy we feel when playing through them. No, there’s no Mr. X here. But the same laugh you likely let out when you saw his tiny hat for the first time is more than present. And that’s the important part.

Director Zack Snyder has discussed the first plot details for his upcoming Escape from New York remake, revealing when the movie will be set and the fact that he may already have someone lined up to star as Snake Plissken. Snyder’s comments came via a conversation with Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Snyder is showcasing his new film The Last Photograph.

“The approach is… the movie’s going to be set in ’97… from the perspective of 1981,” said Snyder. “The war between the United States police force and… the criminal elements takes place, I think, July 9th, 1981 – which is the release date of the original movie. And then the rest is pretty much Escape from New York.”

After explaining his love of the original film, which is also set in 1997 and he regards as “the perfect combination of kitsch and camp,” Snyder was pressed whether he already has his Snake Plissken.

“I may,” he replied cryptically.

Snyder would not be drawn on whether it’s an actor he’s worked with previously, but he did confirm Watchmen and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s claims he’s been badgering Snyder for a role in the project.

“He literally has been hitting me up,” said Snyder, joking he doesn’t need to send him an audition tape. “No, he’s the best; I love him.”

It was reported back in June that the 300 and Man of Steel director had signed on to write and direct the long-gestating remake.

The original Escape from New York, directed by filmmaking icon John Carpenter (who also co-wrote the script and worked on the score), stars Kurt Russell as Snake, an ex-special forces soldier forced into a 24-hour mission to rescue the President of the United States. Snake must infiltrate Manhattan, which has been converted into a sprawling maximum security prison, and get out again before the explosives implanted into his body go off.

The film was a critical and commercial hit, and has carved out a well-deserved reputation as an influential sci-fi cult classic. A remake of the film has been bouncing around for over two decades, but appears now to be finally gathering momentum, with StudioCanal indicating it was moving full speed ahead on the project in April this year.

Whoever steps up to be Snake, just don’t expect Kurt Russell’s son to be the one taking on the role, with Wyatt Russell ruling that out back in 2021.

“If I really wanted to get people sending me hate mail, I think that’s what I should do,” said the Thunderbolts* star. “I will not be ever doing anything like that.”

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

You want to know if the new Resident Evil movie has any post-credits scenes or not, right? Well, we’ll tell you right here: There are no scenes after the credits at all.

Full spoilers follow!

For years, filmmakers have tried to perfect the Resident Evil formula. Proud wife guy and perpetual video game adaptor Paul W.S. Anderson broke the box office with his six-movie Resident Evil series that evolved into blockbuster action slop (at least by The Final Chapter). Johannes Roberts stayed faithful to Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 in his overheated and underperforming reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (which received no sequels). Then there’s Andrew Dabb’s Resident Evil show for Netflix, which I didn’t mind all that much, but it never caught on, and Netflix canceled it after a single season.

Enter Zach Cregger, who’s drawn ire from some Resident Evil fans who panicked when hearing that this fourth reboot wouldn’t feature anything resembling the games—no heartthrob Leon S. Kennedy; no Spencer Mansion; no Lickers. “We want what we already like,” some complained, completely ignoring Welcome to Raccoon City. Instead, we get a movie centered on Austin Abrams’ inept, expectant father and medical courier, Bryan, on his mission to deliver a package of grave importance to Raccoon City General Hospital.

What he doesn’t know is that Raccoon City is ground zero for a t-Virus outbreak that turns anyone into these tentacle-waving zombie mutants, and what he’s carrying is required for the cure.

The story is an all-out sprint from Point A to Point B that sets Bryan on a collision course with a host of t-Virus obstacles. First, it's a farmhouse where an elderly couple and their dog introduce Bryan to a sample of the horrors to come. Then, after being bitten by an infected child, he’s connected with an Umbrella scientist (Paul Walter Hauser) who definitely didn’t drop the original batch of stabilizing agent required to complete a vaccine, before once again finding himself alone, surrounded by unspeakable horrors, his condition worsening. After being chased down alleyways by a rat-king zombie freak, through sewers by actual infected rats, and then down Raccoon City’s main road while zombies dive-bomb from rooftops above, he finally reaches the hospital. After a few more challenges—an acid-vomiting zombie, the maternity ward from hell, Bryan’s final battle with the rat-king-thing—he reaches the quarantined laboratory atop Raccoon City General Hospital.

Resident Evil Ending Explained

When Bryan reaches the silver laboratory door, it whooshes open, revealing Zach Cherry’s lead Umbrella scientist. Bryan is covered in blood, shoeless, and hiding his mutating body under a puffy winter jacket. But he’s got the goods, and Umbrella couldn’t be happier. Cherry’s lab-coated smartypants invites Bryan inside, since he’s come all this way and possibly just saved humanity. Bryan obliges as a courtesy, because secretly, he needs the antidote to reverse his condition.

As a throwback joke, he pulls out a document that requires the recipient's signature—but drops it in the decontamination room when sterilizing mists blast from all angles.

Inside, Umbrella’s team of surviving scientists jump into action. Bryan sits in the corner, battered and bloodied, while the team uses the agent to finalize a t-Virus antidote. But as the process nears completion, Bryan gets antsy. He starts wheeling his chair closer, and that’s when one of Umbrella’s team notices his gnarly state and sends the room into panic mode.

Bryan is a ticking time bomb of a bioweapon. As he sat there, his figure morphed into a William Birkin-level Resident Evil boss. All the Umbrella scientists needed to do was send liquids through machines, pop out the cure, and get it in the right hands. Now, Bryan stands in their way, unable to control his extra appendages.

A particularly petrified lab assistant tries to use a syringe to extract the ultra-green formula from one of the contraptions the scientists are using. He does, as Bryan’s tentacles start whipping his colleagues around. Then, as his mutation worsens, a gigantic mouth appears from his stomach and starts eating the scientists one by one. A poor soul tries to deter Bryan with fire extinguisher vapor, but that clouds everyone’s vision as more mist seeps in from the ceiling after Bryan hurls someone, breaking pipes.

It’s not a Resident Evil movie in this moment. It’s more like the end of Re-Animator, but in a laboratory instead of a morgue. Yet sadness undercuts the brutal comedy of errors. Bryan pleads with anyone to inject him with the antidote, especially because, right before entering the laboratory, he finally reaches an emotional epiphany about how much he wants to raise a baby with his girlfriend. But any time one of the Umbrella employees sneaks close enough, they're devoured by Bryan’s monster gut.

Not to mention, the scientists are terrible at holding onto the syringe, as it’s booted around the room with each violent death munch.

So the slapstick massacre continues until only one scientist is left, cowering by himself. Instead of injecting Bryan, he sprints to the door and hopes his access card will grant him freedom. The door shuts behind Bryan, as the doofus breaks for the elevator. But it’s a failed escape, as Bryan tackles the man out a window, dropping them onto a skybridge that connects hospital buildings.

Sadly, Bryan completely loses control. His mutation reaches peak evolution—tentacles whipping, massive eyeballs bulging from half his face, his humanity completely erased. Bryan, now lost to the infection, turns the man into his final snack as the syringe—civilization’s only hope—plummets to the snowy ground below.

As National Guard helicopters approach, they see Bryan’s terrifying form. We see it too, as the camera angles from their perspective. One final zoom brings the camera straight into Bryan’s eye—into his fully infected bloodstream, and WHAM, right into the credits.

Did the camera represent a bullet? A missile? [Shrug.] That’s it. It’s the introduction most other Resident Evil movies would start on. Umbrella’s only chance at containing the t-Virus was ruined by the only man who made it possible. Bryan’s arc ends in tragedy, since he’ll never live the happy family life he finally convinced himself he deserved. The syringe is smashed (presumably), the outbreak is unstoppable, and somewhere—nowhere near this film—the post-outbreak events of Capcom’s Resident Evil series are about to unfold.

Does Zach Cregger's Resident Evil Have a Post-Credits Scene?

As noted earlier, don’t stay for a post-credits scene; there isn’t one.

Cregger has gone on record while promoting Resident Evil about how he didn’t expect such backlash from its fanbase. He’s obsessed with the games and made the Resident Evil he wanted to see. His logic? Because you can go play the right Resident Evil games if you want Leon S. Kennedy’s story—it exists. Why copy-and-paste an adaptation of video games that are already impressively cinematic? Cregger’s Resident Evil is his baby, his way, as an expansion of Resident Evil’s universe. He's also said that he's done with franchise films after this, so why would he set up a sequel with a post-credits scene?

And yet, the possibilities are endless for Resident Evil, even if different filmmakers come next. Don’t you want to see as many as we can?

“Architects of mythology…”

That’s how Vin Diesel captioned his Instagram post showing him walking with George Lucas at the latter’s new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles.

“Architects of mythology…,” Diesel’s post reads. “Lucas’s museum will be a gift to the world… and to those, who aren’t even born yet…”

It’s not entirely clear whether Diesel is suggesting that both men – one the star/producer of the Fast and the Furious and Riddick movies and the other being the creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones – are equals as “architects of mythology” or if he simply means the museum honors visual storytellers in general as "architects of mythology."

In any case, the phrasing of Diesel’s post invited derision online. Some examples follow.

Only Vin Diesel could meet George Lucas and immediately consider himself an equal 💀 https://t.co/LevhVV6FJY

— Dirt Sheet Radio (@DirtSheetRadio) September 17, 2026

GL: “I did my best to create a universe where hero’s and villains fight in great battles and used politics to enhance my stories as well as include personal stakes”

VD: “Same man, I created a family through cars and told stories about flying cars into space, so similar man” https://t.co/ykKctw3NzK

— Breathtaking (@Samthemanmanmen) September 17, 2026

I think Lucas is overrated but come on Vin let's be real for a second https://t.co/MF90TViqXB

— Ultar (@Ult4r_) September 17, 2026

This may come as a shock to some but Vin Diesel is widely suspected to have a very healthy ego. Funk’s House of Geekery even posted a rundown of Diesel's six most egotistical moments, although it neglects to mention the actor’s infamous feud with his Fast and Furious co-star Dwayne Johnson.

While Diesel and Johnson’s feud appears to have settled down, one former co-star Diesel most certainly does get along with is Michael Caine. Diesel is close personal friends with the 93-year-old Oscar winner and was able to persuade Caine to return to the screen for the sequel to their 2015 film, The Last Witch Hunter.

Diesel’s next project will see him reprise his role as Dominic Toretto in Fast Forever, which the actor has said begins filming in December.

In the meantime, Universal Studios Hollywood has launched a new theme park attraction, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, to keep fans of the franchise satisfied until Fast Forever races into theaters in March 2028.

Do you think Vin Diesel was putting himself on the same level as George Lucas in his “architects of mythology” post? Let us know in the comments.

While Resident Evil may have started as some of the best zombie games, Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich helped bring the series to the big screen with a film series that spanned seven movies. The films feature characters and villains from the games, but they tell their own separate stories and star Jovovich as a newcomer to Resident Evil lore. It's one of the best zombie movie franchises out there.

With a new Resident Evil movie now in theaters, you might want to check out where the video game adaptations started off. If you want to watch all the Resident Evil movies in chronological order from the beginning, we have some very good news for you. All the films serve as sequels to their previous entries, meaning there is no difference between watching them in release order vs. chronological order.

With all that being said, here's a (mostly) spoiler-free look at how you can watch the Resident Evil movies in chronological order.

Jump to:

• How to watch in chronological order
• How to watch by release order

How Many Resident Evil Movies Are There?

There are a total of eight live-action Resident Evil movies. Six of these movies are part of a single timeline with returning characters, while two of these movies are more recent standalone reboots. There are also four feature-length animated films —Resident Evil: Degeneration, Damnation, Vendetta, and Death Island — though we have not included those in the list below.

Over the last two years, Netflix has taken a stab at Resident Evil as both a live-action and animated TV series. The live-action Resident Evil show was canceled after one season, while the animated series, Infinite Darkness, failed to make a splash.

The Resident Evil Movies in Chronological Order

1. Resident Evil (2002)

2002’s Resident Evil introduced the world to Alice (Jovovich), an original character created for the films who awakens with amnesia before remembering she is a private security operative for the Umbrella Corporation. This first film shows how the genetically engineered T-virus, which causes dead people to return as zombies, was released in a lab called The Hive. It also reveals how the lab’s AI security system, the Red Queen, killed every living thing inside the lab to try to contain the virus.

The plan didn’t work and the zombies escaped the lab. Alice and her team have to try to contain the outbreak by finding an anti-virus that is thought to still be in the Hive.

This first film included several references to the first two Resident Evil games, not the least of which was the first tease of the iconic Resident Evil 3 villain, the terrifying, rocket-wielding Nemesis.

Read our review of Resident Evil.

2. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a direct sequel to the original film and brings back Jovovich’s Alice to once again take the fight to the undead. Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson did not return to direct this new film due to other commitments, but he did stay on as a producer while Alexander Witt took the helm. Apocalypse sees Alice attempting to escape Raccoon City before it is attacked by a nuclear missile that is attempting to stop the spreading T-virus plague.

Nemesis is also a big part of this second film and he’s seen terrorizing the survivors throughout it, but that is hardly the only nod to the games. There are many influences pulled into Apocalypse, including characters Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and certain shots that were recreated for live-action, including a shootout at police department in the beginning that is reminiscent of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and a scene in a cemetery that very much harkens back to Resident Evil CODE: Veronica.

Read our review of Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

3. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction reveals that the T-virus has spread across the world. In addition to the return of Alice, the storyline also follows several attempts by the Umbrella Corporation to clone her, in hopes of replicating her powers. As the story progresses, the primary Alice and other survivors are working their way toward Alaska in an attempt to outrun the ever-expanding zombie apocalypse.

Extinction continues to bring in more aspects and characters of the games, including Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) and Albert Wesker (Jason O’Mara).

Read our review of Resident Evil: Extinction.

4. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Resident Evil: Afterlife is the first film after the original to see Anderson back in the director’s chair, where he stays for the rest of the series. Set one year after the events of Extinction, Alice and her clones work together to assault Umbrella Headquarters HQ and Albert Wesker. Unfortunately, all doesn’t go as planned and Alice finds herself without the powers that have assisted her so well in this zombie apocalypse.

Afterlife continues the streak of bringing in characters from the games, and this time it's Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller) that gets the invitation.

Read our review of Resident Evil: Afterlife.

5. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

2011’s Resident Evil: Retribution picks up after the events of Afterlife. Alongside introducing such game characters as Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), Ada Wong (Bingbing Li), and Barry Burton (Kevin Durand), Retribution also sees Alice teaming up with Wesker in an attempt to stop the reactivated Red Queen AI from the first film, who now controls Umbrella and wants to eliminate all life on earth.

Read our review of Resident Evil: Retribution.

6. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

The aptly named Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the last feature film in the series to involve husband-and-wife team Anderson and Jovovich. It follows Alice as she returns to Raccoon City and the Hive in order to stop the Red Queen and Albert Wesker, but also reveals more of the origin of the T-virus and who is really behind all the chaos that has been building since the first film.

Read our review of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.

Other Resident Evil Movies

After Paul W.S. Anderson's time with the Resident Evil franchise came to an end, several more directors have picked up the task of adapting the Capcom hit. These are both standalone movies with their own story and characters, though differ in their level of direct connection to the source material.

1. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

Directed by Johannes Roberts, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot of the franchise and requires no prior knowledge of the movies. Along with the new director comes a new cast and a story that more closely follows the events of the first two Resident Evil games. Several familiar characters from the games and earlier movies return, including Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario), Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell), Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen), Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper), Leon Kennedy (Avan Jogia), Ada Wong (Lily Gao), and more. The film’s story is set in Raccoon City and tells the early days of a zombie outbreak.

Read our review of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

2. Resident Evil (2026)

Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons) is the latest director to take a shot at the Resident Evil franchise. This most recent adaptation takes a particularly fresh approach to the material, focusing on adapting the feeling of being in a Resident Evil game as opposed to specific storylines. Which, of course, there have been varying reactions to.

The new Resident Evil movie stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who heads to Raccoon City to make a suspicious delivery and finds himself trapped in a good ol' outbreak. While it features its own story and characters, there are some connections to overarching Resident Evil lore, including some of the events in Resident Evil 2. Cregger has also cited Resident Evil 4 as one of his major influences.

Read our review of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil

The Future of Resident Evil Movies

An entirely new Resident Evil movie just hit theaters, and it's already off to a promising start at the box office. Still, director Zach Cregger, who had previously expressed interest in future sequels, has since declared that this will be his only Resident Evil project.

Right now, we don't have 100% certainty that any other Resident Evil movies are in the works. Given the continued success of new game installments like Requiem, however, it's pretty likely someone else takes a stab at the zombie franchise sooner or later.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Hot on the heels of his awards-buzzy performance in The Odyssey, John Leguizamo has reportedly landed a major role in another Universal film, one that will take him back to his roots: Miami Vice ‘85.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Leguizamo will play the film’s main villain, a cartel boss. Leguizamo made his television debut in 1986 on an episode of the hit series Miami Vice.

Unlike the 2006 feature film adaptation directed by Michael Mann and starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, this Miami Vice movie will be a period piece that Universal has said “explores the glamour and corruption of mid-'80s Miami.”

Director Joseph Kosinski’s movie is particularly inspired by the series pilot and first season (1984-85). A recurring villain in the first season was Columbian cartel lord Esteban Calderone, whose drug trafficking operations stretched from New York City to Miami and into the Bahamas. He first appeared in the pilot episode, “Brother’s Keeper,” and returned later in the season when an undercover Crockett and Tubbs went to the Bahamas to finally stop Calderone.

Leguizamo played the cartel boss’s vengeful son Orlando Calderone in two notable episodes, the first being the Season 2 finale and his second and final time as Orlando in a High Noon-style episode in Season 3. (In Season 5, Leguizamo played a different drug dealer character, Angelo Alvarez, in one episode.) Although the series was episodic, the hunt for Calderone was a main throughline of Miami Vice’s first season, so it’s possible that might also serve as the spine of Kosinski’s film.

Could Leguizamo actually be playing the elder Calderone in Miami Vice ‘85? That would truly be a full-circle moment for the actor, who has not always had kind things to say about Miami Vice.

Leguizamo was only 19 when he landed his recurring role in Miami Vice, but he initially looked down his nose at the show. “It was huge but I was such a theater snob,” Leguizamo recalled in a 2016 chat with Interview Magazine. “It was a different time where theater people really looked down on TV acting, so I was like, ‘This is nothing, man, I’m better than this shit.’ I was really arrogant. […] What a punk.”

In his 2014 TV special, Ghetto Klown, Leguizamo called Miami Vice “the Latin exploitation series of the '80s,” telling the audience, “I became Calderon Jr., cocaine Colombian Mafia prince. And as you can see, I'm the palest Latin brother of the bunch. But I blame my grandfather, 'cause when he found out I was doing television, he says [...] 'Mijito, nenito, only white Latinos make it to Telemundo, mijito.'"

Leguizamo also called out the stereotypical roles that he and other Latinos faced coming up in the 1980s. "It'd be me and all the same dudes — Benicio Del Toro, Benjamin Bratt, Esai Morales and Jimmy Smits," NPR quotes Leguizamo as saying in the special. "And you'd go out there and [the roles were] all gang leaders, drug dealers, janitors, murderers. And you're like, 'All these roles? Really? Don't we contribute more?' I mean, I went to college, man. I'm an educated human being, and I know a lot of hyper-educated Latin people."

Of the actors Leguizamo specially mentioned — Benicio Del Toro, Benjamin Bratt, Esai Morales and Jimmy Smits — Bratt is the only one who did not appear on Miami Vice.

Miami Vice ‘85 will be filmed for IMAX and hit theaters on May 19, 2028. Filming begins soon. The cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler, Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, and Danny Ramirez.

Miami Vice ‘85 is produced by Dylan Clark (The Batman) and Kosinski and written by Dan Gilroy and Eric Singer, based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich from the series executive produced by Yerkovich and Michael Mann.

Speaking of Mann, the director will appear next month at Beyond Fest for the premiere of his recently revealed Miami Vice: Director’s Final Cut of his 2006 remake.

AMC Theaters has revealed its exclusive popcorn bucket for the upcoming Street Fighter movie and it’s a wearable item shaped like Guile’s hair.

“It’s ergonomic and it’s aerodynamic. And it can be yours,” Guile actor Cody Rhodes says in the announcement video while wearing the popcorn bucket as his co-stars Noah Centineo (who plays Ken Masters) and Callina Liang (who plays Chun-Li) eat from it.

Cinemark also revealed their Street Fighter merch that leans into the arcade roots of the game franchise.

Aerodynamic. Ergonomic. Delicious. The AMC Exclusive 🍿for #StreetFighterMovie in theaters Oct. 16! Tickets go on sale Monday!pic.twitter.com/v7OAuwWPtA

— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 17, 2026

Popcorn buckets have become highly sought after collectibles for fans and viral marketing sensations for cinema chains and theatrical exhibitors.

The sandworm popcorn bucket from Dune: Part 2 kicked off an increasing game of one-upmanship from studio marketers and theater chains alike. Indeed, Ryan Reynolds dubbed 2024 the year “when the War of the Popcorn Buckets began” in his unveiling of the Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket.

In addition to the Dune: Part 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine ones, 2024 also saw Regal Theatres' Garfield popcorn bucket where moviegoers could eat popcorn out of the back of Garfield's head and a ghost trap-themed one for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Last year, AMC Theaters unveiled their huge (and hugely expensive) “Giant Galactus Popcorn Vessel” for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

More recently, there were enough popcorn buckets for Spider-Man: Brand New Day that we even ranked them. And there were two popcorn buckets available for The Odyssey, one in the shape of an IMAX camera and the other being the Trojan horse.

Filmgoers hitting theaters this weekend can get a hold of the Resident Evil popcorn bucket that’s in the form of an organ transplant bag. The upcoming theatrical release of Avengers: Endgame Encore offers ticket buyers two different Iron Man popcorn bucket options.

Street Fighter opens in theaters on October 16.