W39 Preview: Resident Evil Breaks a 24-Year Franchise Record, and Three Seasons Head for the Exit

25 days ago by Alex Reed 5 min read

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Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot opened to a franchise-record $60 million domestic and $108.3 million worldwide, the biggest debut of his career. On streaming, Lioness already wrapped season 3 on Sunday, Made in Korea ends for good Wednesday, and Ted Lasso and Slow Horses both drop new episodes the same day.

Zach Cregger has done it again. His Resident Evil reboot opened to $60 million domestically over the September 18-20 weekend — a franchise record, his own personal best, and roughly 50% above what Sony was projecting a week ago. Meanwhile the streaming side of this week is all about endings: one prestige season already wrapped on Sunday, another closes out on Wednesday, and two Apple TV shows keep marching toward October finales.

Here's what's worth your time this week.

In theaters: Resident Evil is the horror story of the month

Twenty-four years of Resident Evil movies, and none of them opened like this one.

• Domestic opening weekend: $60,000,000 — biggest in franchise history
• Opening day: $26,000,000 (Variety)
• Worldwide opening: $108,300,000, of which $48,300,000 came from international markets (Deadline)
• Theater count: 3,684 North American screens
• Production budget: $75,000,000 — already recouped in three days
• CinemaScore: B+
• Runtime: 95 minutes, rated R

That $60 million also beats Weapons, Cregger's 2025 hit, which opened to $43.5 million. Three movies into his run as a horror director — Barbarian, Weapons, and now this — Cregger has taken the number one spot at the domestic box office every single time. That is not a streak many directors in any genre can claim right now.

What's interesting is how far past the projections this landed. Pre-weekend tracking had it at $40 million. By Saturday, Sony had revised up to the $53-55 million range. It still cleared both.

The film follows Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams, with Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry and Kali Reis rounding out the cast. Cregger directed and co-wrote with Shay Hatten. It's the eighth live-action installment in the series, and it does not require you to have seen any of the previous seven — which, given the previous seven, is probably for the best.

Anticipation level: 9/10. If you like Cregger's particular brand of horror, this is the one to see on a big screen with a crowd. Where to watch: in theaters now.

Streaming: two seasons ending, one already over

Lioness — Season 3 finale already dropped

Heads up if you were saving this one: Lioness finished its third season on Sunday, September 20. Episode 8, "The Unravelling," is already up on Paramount+, which means all eight episodes are sitting there ready to go.

Zoe Saldaña is back as Joe, with Laysla De Oliveira and Dave Annable. Taylor Sheridan's CIA thriller has been running weekly Sundays since August 2, so if you've been letting it stack up, this is the week the stack stops growing. Eight episodes is a very doable weekend.

Anticipation level: 8/10 — and now it's a binge instead of a wait. Where to watch: Paramount+, all 8 episodes.

Made in Korea — Season 2 finale, Wednesday

Disney+ closes the book on its 1970s KCIA political noir this week. Made in Korea wraps its second and final season on Wednesday, September 23, with the last two of six episodes.

Season 2 picks up nine years after the first, with Baek Ki-tae (Hyun Bin) now deputy director of the KCIA and running a drug operation across the region, while his old nemesis Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung) steps out of the shadows for a very long-planned revenge. Woo Do-hwan co-stars. Disney+ has been dropping two episodes every Wednesday since September 9, so the whole thing is a three-week season — compact, nasty, and done.

This is billed as the final chapter, so Wednesday is the actual ending, not a cliffhanger into a season 3.

Anticipation level: 8/10. Where to watch: Disney+ (Hulu in the US), finale September 23.

Wednesday on Apple TV: two shows mid-run

If you're already watching these, you know. If you're not, here's where they are.

• Ted Lasso, season 4, episode 8 of 10 — out Wednesday, September 23. The season premiered August 5 and runs weekly, with the finale landing October 7. Two episodes left after this one, so the endgame is officially in motion.
• Slow Horses, season 6, episode 2 of 6 — "Daddy Issues," also Wednesday, September 23. Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb returned last week with the premiere, Olivia Cooke is back, and the six-episode season runs through October 21.

Both drop on Apple TV. Worth noting: Apple episodes technically go live the night before at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, so Tuesday night is really Wednesday if you're impatient.

Anticipation level: 8/10 for Ted Lasso (endgame energy), 9/10 for Slow Horses (six episodes is short and this season is moving fast).

The takeaway

This is a rare week where the theatrical release is the loudest thing happening — Resident Evil is not just a good opening for a video game adaptation, it's the biggest opening of Cregger's career and a franchise record by a wide margin. Go see that one in a theater.

Then come home to endings. Lioness is a completed eight-episode season waiting for you right now, and Made in Korea closes out for good on Wednesday. If you only have time for one, make it Lioness — a finished season with no waiting is a luxury, and eight episodes of Saldaña doing quiet menace is a very good way to spend a weekend.

See you next week.