LOS ANGELES — Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, opening in theaters Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, is sitting at 96% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 121 critic reviews as of Thursday evening — a score that has hovered in the mid-to-high 90s as early notices landed, with several outlets earlier Thursday citing about 97% while the tally was still climbing, according to Rotten Tomatoes, TechSpot and Metro.

At that level, critics and trades are billing the film as the highest-rated live-action video-game movie on the Tomatometer, ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at about 86%, TechSpot and Metro reported. Audience scores were still thin; Rotten Tomatoes showed an early Popcornmeter around the high 80s from a limited verified sample.

Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons) co-wrote the film with Shay Hatten and treats Capcom’s horror IP as a reinvention rather than a continuation of the Milla Jovovich–era Sony series. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier pulled into a night of infection and survival; Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis and Zach Cherry are also in the cast. Deadline’s Pete Hammond called it a “smart original reboot” that throws out familiar game heroes for a propulsive, darkly comic horror ride in a tight 90 minutes, rated R.

GamesRadar+ critic Jordan Farley, quoted via TechSpot, went further than franchise praise — calling it not only the best Resident Evil movie “by a distance” but “the best video game movie full stop.” Other early notices highlighted the bloody humor and jump scares; Metro rounded up social reactions branding the film a “near perfect” Resident Evil experience. Those are critic and reviewer claims, not box-office proof — the movie still has to open.

Columbia Pictures distributes; Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions are among the production banners listed on Rotten Tomatoes. Dated Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026: verified Tomatometer 96% on 121 reviews at publish time; theatrical bow Sept. 18; Abrams leads Cregger’s horror-forward reboot.

Sources