Resident Evil Requiem Tops $500m, but Capcom’s Discounts Moved Game Sales More Than the Film Itself

Capcom has put out a Resident Evil film, and the game sales numbers say it didn’t move the needle too much on its own. The new reboot, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, set a series-best opening weekend with over $108m worldwide. But according to estimates from Alinea Analytics, Capcom’s price drops — not the film itself — were the bigger driver of game sales.

The Numbers From Alinea

Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott today reported that Resident Evil Requiem has crossed the $500m mark. That puts it ahead of every other mainline Resident Evil game to date, and it is close to catching up to Leon Kennedy’s last blockbuster.

1. Resident Evil Requiem has made over $500m (around £377) since release.
2. Resident Evil 4‘s remake has made more than $600m after three years.
3. Requiem sold 4m copies from PS5 and PC, with 30% coming from physical copies.
4. Capcom began selling multiple Resident Evil games at a discounted price eight days before the film debuted in cinemas.

The film’s opening weekend did give Resident Evil a bump in daily players. But the price drops cut Requiem‘s daily PS5 earnings by 4%, from $284k to $271k.

What The Film Actually Moved

The Cregger reboot did move the needle. It just moved the needle on older games rather than its own. Resident Evil 2’s remake got the biggest bump, up 48% in players across all platforms once the film was in cinemas.

Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S all saw the older titles draw more players. Resident Evil 3’s remake saw a 25% jump in players.

• Resident Evil 2’s remake saw 48% more players than normal.
• Resident Evil 3’s remake saw a 25% jump in players.
• The older games also saw more daily players when the film was in cinemas.

The series’ tight corridors and even tighter camera angles began giving everyone the spooks on the very first PlayStation console. That history shows up in the platform numbers too. Requiem‘s most popular platform is reportedly PS5, which is not too surprising given where the series started.

Sony’s disc-less future has not stopped the PS5 copies from selling well, though the physical copies are still part of the mix at 30%. The older games, whose sales rose when the film came out, are also available on a mix of platforms.

Why The Price Drops Won

Capcom’s very generous (and fairly frequent) discounts began eight days before the film debuted. By the time the opening weekend rolled around, Requiem began making 4% less money per day on PS5.

Source material: “Resident Evil Requiem's made over $500m since release, but the new film didn't have as big of an impact as Capcom's price drops,” Eurogamer.

Capcom · film · game sales · Requiem · Resident Evil