It's been five years since the last "Resident Evil" movie, the longest gap yet between installments. So, what went wrong? Turns out "Resident Evil" found itself up against a perfect winter storm of unfavorable conditions. With six-week-old drama " Hidden Figures" coming in third with an estimated $14.0 million, "Resident Evil" had to settle for a fourth-place premiere. Instead, "Split" easily repeated on top with an estimated $26.3 million, while "Purpose" scored an estimated $18.4 million. So it's no wonder pundits expected it to challenge both last weekend's winner, " Split," and family newcomer " A Dog's Purpose," for chart supremacy, with a likely finish just under $20 million. Milla Jovovich's Alice remains the rare action heroine who sells tickets to a predominantly male audience.
The strongest and longest-lasting of all video game-inspired movie series, "Resident Evil" has grossed close to $1 billion worldwide. Did you believe that " Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" would really be the franchise's final chapter? Probably not, but after this weekend's shockingly dismal domestic debut, the lowest of all six movies in the franchise's 15-year history, it could be the last after all.