Goodbye Tom Hardy, Near-Perfect 95-Minute Thriller Overtakes Non-Stop Action Masterpiece at the Box Office

Reboots have proven incredibly effective at reviving stagnant, dormant, or even dead film franchises. Casino Royale, The Batman, Batman Begins, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes rank high on that list, along with this year’s breakout horror hit. After shattering box office milestones for its own series, the gripping thriller has now surpassed a legendary Tom Hardy action epic — a movie that itself went toe-to-toe with a 1979 classic.

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil was a huge gamble for a franchise still reeling from its last reboot attempt. 2021’s Welcome to Raccoon City was arguably the most lore-faithful Resident Evil movie to date, featuring characters and settings directly adapted from the video games; yet it was largely panned, and worse, it’s the film franchise’s lowest-grossing installment. By contrast, Cregger’s reimagining, which deviated from the source material, is a critical hit, garnering a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As the film winds down its theatrical run, it marks another milestone by outpacing a Mad Max movie’s commercial success.

‘Resident Evil’ Beats George Miller’s Post-Apocalyptic Action Epic

With a global haul of $384 million, Resident Evil has officially edged past the $379 million lifetime gross of Mad Max: Fury Road. The horror reboot has already outperformed George Miller’s acclaimed epic at the international box office, and it is now on the verge of eclipsing the Tom Hardy-led blockbuster domestically as well. Resident Evil is also significantly more profitable than Fury Road, hauling in over five times its $75 million budget.

Interestingly, both films operate as self-contained reboots that successfully bypass the burden of prior franchise homework. Neither film diminishes what came before; Cregger’s movie exists comfortably alongside the action-packed Milla Jovovich era, just as Fury Road preserves the distinct legacy of Mel Gibson’s 1979 original. At their core, Fury Road and Resident Evil are non-stop chase thrillers, something audiences even pointed out during the latter’s early screening.

The similarities do not end there, as Miller had previously described Fury Road as a standalone installment that is “not really connected in any very strict way” to the original trilogy. Cregger approached Resident Evil the same way, deviating even further from the lore by featuring a brand-new protagonist. The films offered their respective franchises a clean slate, and Fury Road spawned an equally gritty prequel spin-off; Cregger also confirmed he’s open to helming a sequel, even teasing what he thinks a continuing story would look like. However, that’s still a long way off if ever greenlit, as he is busy with priority projects.

George Miller Revived Hopes for a New ‘Mad Max’ Installment

Miller is reportedly seeking out studio partners for one last Mad Max film, based on insider reports last June. It’s been 11 years since Fury Road was released, and more than two years since Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hit theaters. Hardy has previously addressed the prospects of reprising the titular role in the long-rumored prequel, Mad Max: The Wasteland, saying in 2024 that the chances of that coming to fruition are slim. If true, the recent update should pave the way for Hardy’s Max to return on the big screen.

As for Resident Evil, the odds of Austin Abrams returning as Bryan in a potential sequel are nil, based on the ending. Cregger teased there’s a way to bring iconic characters like Leon and Claire into the fold, and even cross paths with Bryan while at it. In any case, the future looks bright for the franchise, proving that it only takes the right creative vision to revive and reinvent a legacy.

Release Date

September 18, 2026

Runtime

95 Minutes