The new Resident Evil is already making history — and UAE audiences showed up for it. The film opened at number one on the UAE box office chart for the weekend of September 17 to 20, earning AED 5.1 million (around USD 1.4 million) in its first weekend in local cinemas. That is a strong debut for a horror film in the region, and it arrives on the back of a genuinely massive worldwide performance. Here is everything you need to know about the film, the UAE numbers, and how this one stacks up against the entire franchise.
The UAE Chart This Weekend
| Rank | Film | Language | Weekend Gross | Weeks in Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil (2026) | English | AED 5.1M ($1,400,000) | 1 |
The chart total was down 36 per cent compared to the previous weekend. Resident Evil was the only title listed in the official Box Office Mojo UAE chart for this period. If you are in Dubai and want to catch the film on the biggest screen possible before the buzz dies down, check the full schedule and book your seat now at Cinemas in Dubai for all showtimes across the city.
About the 2026 Resident Evil Film
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Resident Evil |
| Release Date (UAE) | September 18, 2026 |
| Release Date (USA) | September 18, 2026 (Premiere September 15 in Los Angeles) |
| Director | Zach Cregger |
| Screenplay | Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten |
| Main Cast | Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser |
| Studio | Columbia Pictures / Constantin Film / PlayStation Productions |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures |
| Runtime | 95 minutes |
| Genre | Horror / Action |
| Based on | Resident Evil video game franchise by Capcom |
| Production Budget | $75 million |
| Global Opening Weekend | $108.3 million |
| Domestic Opening (USA) | $60 million |
| International Opening | $48.3 million across 62 markets |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score | 95% critics / 91% audience |
| Record Set | Biggest opening in Resident Evil franchise history |
| Highest-Rated | Best-reviewed video game adaptation ever on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic |
The story follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who finds himself trapped in Raccoon City during a deadly viral outbreak. As infected creatures overwhelm the city, Bryan has to fight his way through to survive. It is a clean reboot with no connection to the Milla Jovovich-led series. Zach Cregger, the director behind Barbarian and Weapons, brings a very different energy to the franchise — grounded, brutal, and actually scary in the way the games are. If you are based in Abu Dhabi and want to catch it this week, find the nearest screen and showtimes through the full guide to Cinemas in Abu Dhabi across Yas Mall, Reem Mall, Nation Towers, and more.
How Big Is $108.3 Million? Here Is What It Means for the Franchise
To understand just how significant this opening is, you have to look at where the previous Resident Evil films landed. The 2026 reboot earned more in three days than the original 2002 film made in its entire worldwide run. That is not a small thing. The original Resident Evil was considered a modest hit at the time. This one lapped it by the end of Sunday. The 2026 film also outgrossed Welcome to Raccoon City, the 2021 reboot that bombed, in its first day alone.
