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Resident Evil Director Surprised by Fan Backlash
Confirmed
In Short: Zach Cregger, director of the latest 'Resident Evil' film, expressed surprise at the backlash from fans, telling BBC Newsbeat, 'I was not prepared for what came my way.
The original Resident Evil game, launched in 1996 by Capcom, was a smash hit on the Sony PlayStation.
Despite breaking franchise records with a $60 million opening weekend and a 95 percent 'Certified Fresh' rating on RottenTomatoes, the movie faced significant criticism.
Many fans complained about the film's humorous elements, which they felt disrespected the tone of the original games.
Critics praised the film for its blend of horror, humor, and action, with some calling it the best Resident Evil movie ever.
The film's success, however, was largely driven by walk-up ticket sales, indicating strong word-of-mouth support.
Cregger's Resident Evil is different from previous films, blending his signature gore and humor into a tightly constructed horror movie.
The movie's $108 million opening weekend box office and potential to surpass the $300 million global total of 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' suggest it could become a solidly profitable film.
Producer Roy Lee, who worked on Cregger's Resident Evil, is now reportedly working on a Silent Hill film.
What this adds
Cregger's surprise at the fan backlash highlights the unpredictable nature of fan reactions to adaptations of beloved franchises.
Background
Zach Cregger, director of the latest 'Resident Evil' film, expressed surprise at the backlash from fans, telling BBC Newsbeat, 'I was not prepared for what came my way.
What's confirmed
- The ending of Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie has proven to be a divisive one, and fans are at odds as to whether or not it was a “good” conclusion to the film’s ultimately tragic story.
- Cregger made the bold decision to avoid a direct adaptation of pre-existing games in the Resident Evil series.
- – Matt Donato, Daily Dead Whatever your idea of what a good Resident Evil movie should be, I have to recommend to the skeptical to put that to one side and lock in for what Zach Cregger delivers.
- – Julian Roman, MovieWeb Resident Evil is different, and much better, than the other Resident Evil movies.
What's still developing
- Zach Cregger's Resident Evil follows Bryan - a courier having a very, very bad day at work One of the hottest horror directors on the planet adapting the world's most popular scary video game series?
- On paper Zach Cregger and Resident Evil are the perfect unholy alliance.
- But in the lead-up to the film’s release, Cregger’s spent a lot of time defending himself against complaints he’s cashing in on the Resident Evil name.
- Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, the director says he was "not prepared" for what came his way.
- Cregger's Resident Evil follows the story of Bryan, an original character played by Austin Abrams who worked with the director on Weapons.
- Backlash to Cregger's vision for the movie indeed began long before last weekend, but furious Resident Evil fans should be thankful that the final product wasn't much, much funnier.
- But, really, it's not like Cregger changed that much about the Resident Evil experience to fit his humorous sensibilities, and many fans of the franchise are laughing just as hard at the haters as they did at the movie itself.
- The most perpetually incensed members of the online gaming community are furious about the humorous elements in the latest film adaptation of Resident Evil, a game series in which a man punches a boulder the size of a Sprinter van into an active volcano.
- Many Resident Evil players who attended opening weekend lauded how Cregger mined the in-game user experience for moments of levity and irony in his film – but since these are gamers we’re talking about, other much louder Resident Evil fans had already decided Cregger’s movie was a dud when the first trailer dropped.
- To its detractors, Resident Evil (2026) is a literal mockery of the horror game series, and Cregger’s overuse of humor made them miss the “seriousness” of the Milla Jovovich-starred films that seemingly came out once a year back in the 2000s.
- When you browse the negative user reviews on the Resident Evil RottenTomatoes page or read the more inflammatory responses on Twitter, the most common topic of criticism is the comedic moments that Cregger interspersed throughout his script.
- It completely disrespects the tone of the resident evil games,” an amateur reviewer wrote on RottenTomatoes, “There are plenty of fan service easter eggs that are thrown in… but they are nothing more than cash grabs.