Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has become the highest-rated video game movie in Rotten Tomatoes history by critic score, according to VGC’s report on 17 September. The film was sitting at 97% from 91 reviews in that report, more than 10 points ahead of the previous leader, Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The movie opens in cinemas on 18 September 2026. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the film separately from its audience score, so the record refers to the Tomatometer rather than viewer ratings.
Resident Evil Rotten Tomatoes score sets a new video game movie record
VGC’s ranking puts Resident Evil at the top with 97%, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Werewolves Within, both on 86%. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is fourth at 72%, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu complete the upper half of the list.
The gap is a useful measure of how quickly the record has moved. The Resident Evil Rotten Tomatoes score has opened more than 10 percentage points clear of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which had only just taken the top spot at 86%. SlashFilm also reported the new film holding the record, although its earlier snapshot counted 70 reviews at 96%.
That number is a long way above the previous live-action Resident Evil films. The best of the six-film Milla Jovovich-led run was 2017’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter at 39% — just below the 41% score for Uncharted.
The reviews arrive as fans weigh Cregger’s new story
Cregger’s film does not retell Leon, Jill, Chris or Claire’s game stories. It follows a new character, Bryan, in a parallel story set around the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. Cregger has described the approach as a love letter to the games, while accepting that some fans wanted familiar characters on screen.
The director has already explained that test screenings led him to remove much of the early cut’s humour. That follows his earlier comments about the film’s jokes and the wider fan response covered in our report on Cregger’s attempt to win over Resident Evil fans. Readers can also catch up with what the first trailer confirmed.
The VGC report links to the Rotten Tomatoes listing, while SlashFilm’s earlier report provides a second snapshot of the score. The number may move as more reviews arrive, but the film has already cleared the old record by a comfortable margin.
What is Resident Evil’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
VGC reported a 97% Tomatometer score from 91 reviews on 17 September 2026. Rotten Tomatoes scores can change as more reviews are added.
Which video game movie previously held the Rotten Tomatoes record?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 previously held the top critic score at 86%, according to the ranking reported by VGC.
When does Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil open?
Resident Evil opens in cinemas on 18 September 2026.
