The cinematic reboot of Capcom’s most popular video game franchise was initially scheduled to release on Labor Day weekend, during September later this year. However, Sony has decided to delay the movie for a couple of months. Instead, the movie is now scheduled to premiere on November 24.
Why Was the Resident Evil Movie Release Date Changed?
— Resident Evil (@ResidentEvil) December 28, 2020 Sony didn’t specify a particular reason for their decision to delay the Resident Evil movie. However, numerous speculations are floating around. The most prevalent of which revolves around the premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings. Disney recently announced that the upcoming feature film debut of Marvel comics character Shang-Chi will premiere on Labor Day weekend this year. Because of this, Sony’s decision to delay the new Resident Evil movie makes a lot of sense. Even though the Resident Evil franchise has proven to be a huge blockbuster hit, generating more than $1 billion in the theatrical box office, releasing it alongside a Marvel film isn’t ideal. This is especially with how theaters have yet to fully recover from the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Curiously enough, the decision pits Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City against another Disney movie. The animated movie Enchanto is expected to premiere the same weekend as the new Resident Evil movie. Not to mention, the Thanksgiving Weekend is historically huge and it could end up competing with other big franchises. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if the cinematic reboot of Resident Evil will be just as successful as the critically-panned but commercially loved series of movies that featured Milla Jovovich. Speaking of delays, another video game movie adaptation and cinematic reboot, Mortal Kombat, was also delayed, albeit only for a week.
What Is Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City?
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is the cinematic reboot of the Resident Evil video game franchise. It’ll take the series back to its roots with a story following that of the games more closely. In particular, it will tell the origins of the T-Virus responsible for the zombie outbreak. The film’s setting will switch back and forth between the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City itself. The film will be directed by Johannes Roberts, who is best known for his works on 2017’s 47 Meters Down and its sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. So far, we haven’t seen a trailer for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City released yet. However, with Capcom set to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary in April, there’s enough reason to believe that we’re going to see more of it soon enough. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is one of two live-action Resident Evil projects currently in development. Of the two, it’s the only one set to premiere in theaters. The other, simply titled Resident Evil, will be a Netflix exclusive. A third animated series titled Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is also in the works. It is expected to release on Netflix sometime in 2021.
