1. World War Z
Release date: June 21, 2013
Opening weekend (U.S.): $66,411,834
Domestic total gross: $202,359,711
Foreign total gross: $337,648,165
Worldwide total gross: $540,007,876
Put Brad Pitt in virtually any movie, and you have a smash hit. Put him in a zombie flick, and you have the highest-grossing zombie movie by a long shot.
“World War Z” follows the once-calm life of former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) as the world falls deep into a fast-spreading zombie plague. Lane barely escapes the raging zombies only to have the government convince him to investigate the epidemic and try to find a cure before it zombifies the global population.
“World War Z” scored a massive $66.4 million opening weekend. This jump-start led to a $202.4 million overall domestic gross against a $190 million estimated budget. Worldwide, it grossed more than $540 million.
We’ve heard rumblings of a Pitt-led sequel, which would likely crush these numbers, but its body’s gone cold for now due to budget issues.
2. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Release date: Jan. 27, 2017
Opening weekend (U.S.): $13,601,682
Domestic total gross: $26,830,068
Foreign total gross: $285,412,558
Worldwide total gross: $312,242,626
The “Resident Evil” franchise is a dominant force in the zombie genre, and it’s no shock with its delicate combination of brain-eating undead and nonstop action. The final film of the series, “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” follows Alice (Milla Jovovich) as she looks to put a stop to the evil Umbrella Corporation’s plans to kill off the remaining survivors of the apocalypse with her normal butt-kicking action and leather getup.
“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” raked in $13.6 million in its first weekend. Despite a hot start, critics and fans alike in the U.S. quickly soured on it, resulting in a total domestic take of just $26.8 million against a $40 million budget. Internationally, however, it was a powerhouse, taking in more than $285 million from non-U.S. audiences.
3. Resident Evil: Afterlife
Release date: Sept. 10, 2010
Opening weekend (U.S.): $26,650,264
Domestic total gross: $60,128,566
Foreign total gross: $240,099,518
Worldwide total gross: $300,228,084
The second-highest-grossing “Resident Evil” movie and the third highest-grossing zombie movie overall is “Resident Evil: Afterlife.” This zombie action film, which was the fourth installment in the franchise, again follows Alice in her battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead it created. This time, there is the promise of an uninfected sanctuary called Arcadia. Alice and a group of prisoners she frees from the Umbrella Corporation head toward this sanctuary only to find it is not as advertised.
“Resident Evil: Afterlife” delivered a $26.6 million opening weekend in the U.S. This gave it a great start on the way to a $60 million gross take domestically. The domestic take barely met the $60 million estimated budget, but its $300.2 million global gross put it deep into the black.
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