Summary
- Resident Evil movies were financially successful despite criticism, grossing over $1.28 billion worldwide.
- The franchise defined the survival horror genre by introducing iconic character Alice.
- Discussions on a potential return to the Resident Evil universe by the original director and actress.
The Resident Evil movies haven’t always had the best rep in the film industry. Many fans of the games felt like the horror movies directed by Paul W. S. Anderson never quite got the adaptations right and felt like they distanced themselves from the games rather than honed in on what made them so popular to begin with. However, Resident Evil was not only the highest-grossing film series based on a video game, but it was also once the highest-grossing horror film series ever. Even though it was slated by critics and fans, the six movies and the reboot made quite a lot of money – over $1.28 billion worldwide, in fact.
After launching with the atmospheric original in 1996 on the PlayStation, which was the console’s bestselling game at the time, Resident Evil has since been credited with defining the survival horror genre. With Event Horizon director Paul W.S. Anderson and Fifth Element‘s Milla Jovovich, six of the seven Resident Evil movies have showcased the superhuman and amnesiac character Alice, who was a high-ranking Umbrella security operator, but after someone steals the genetically engineered T-virus and contaminates the Hive with it, she and others set out to contain the outbreak and track down those responsible for the zombie apocalypse.
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Resident Evil Director and Milla Jovovich Aren’t Closing the Door on Franchise’s Return
Talking to MovieWeb‘s George Edelman in an exclusive interview, Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson discussed their upcoming fantasy film In the Lost Lands, which is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s short story. During questions about the movie, which included having to flesh out its storyline more, Edelman asked the husband and wife duo if they had plans to return to the Resident Evil universe again. “Would we want to revisit that? You know, it’s a character that I know Milla loves, and it’s a franchise I love, and we spent a lot of our lives working on it. So, of course, you never say never,” replied Anderson.
Jovovich, who had a long run of playing Alice in the franchise, said that she recognized that Resident Evil has a huge fanbase and that it would be “wonderful to continue the story”. “Every world is interesting and has so many nooks and crannies that we didn’t look into that someone else might look into.” As for what’s to come for Resident Evil‘s world right now, Barbarian director Zach Cregger is attached to the movie project where he is set to write and direct a Resident Evil adaptation. Although details of the project aren’t clear as yet, Creggar is expected to direct the movie to “be more horror-focused and more faithful to the initial games.”.
The last attempted Resident Evil reboot was released in 2021, and then there was the Netflix series that was canceled after only one single season. The show, which starred Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, and Lance Reddick, currently sits at 53 per cent for critics and an audience score of 26 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, which likely showcases why Netflix refused to order a second series. Here’s hoping Cregger can breathe a new lease of life back into the franchise.
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Resident Evil
- Release Date
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March 15, 2002
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Paul W. S. Anderson
- Writers
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Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast
Source: MovieWeb