Zach Cregger is breaking a couple of streaks with his Resident Evil runtime.
Written and directed by the acclaimed Weapons filmmaker, the second reboot of the film adaptation of the survival horror game franchise centers on a medical courier whose latest job inadvertently brings him to Raccoon City in the midst of the zombie outbreak’s beginnings, putting him in a blood-soaked fight for survival. Cregger reunites with Weapons‘ Austin Abrams to lead the Resident Evil cast, while also featuring Severance‘s Zach Cherry, True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis, Black Bird‘s Paul Walter Hauser and Johnno Wilson.
Now, ahead of the film’s September 18 release date, the Resident Evil runtime has reportedly been revealed. Its listings on Cinemark and Regal Cinemas has Cregger’s reboot set for 89 and 90 minutes, while AMC Theatres has the survival horror movie set for a 95-minute runtime. ScreenRant has reached out to Sony Pictures for clarification on the validity of the differing runtimes, and has not received a response at the time of writing.
Should the shorter runtimes prove to be accurate, the Resident Evil reboot would officially set a new franchise record as the shortest installment in the live-action movie series in its 24-year run. The record had previously been held by 2004’s Extinction, the first sequel in the Milla Jovovich-led movies, which clocked in at 93 minutes. The record for the longest-running film is tied between Jovovich’s The Final Chapter and the subsequent reboot Welcome to Raccoon City at 107 minutes.
Interestingly, it would also break a major streak for Cregger in being his shortest film in the director’s chair. The writer/director’s feature debut on 2009’s Miss March had two different versions, with its theatrical cut being 90 minutes while its unrated cut was 94 minutes, while his subsequent outing on The Whitest Kids U’ Know’s The Civil War on Drugs was also 90 minutes, both of which were co-directed with Trevor Moore.
However, when it comes to his solo directorial outings, any of Resident Evil‘s reported runtimes would fall short of his previous outings. His solo debut with the 2022 hit Barbarian came in at 103 minutes, while his second effort with the acclaimed horror mystery Weapons became his longest movie ever at 128 minutes.
Given the film is an original story set in the world of the games, and is meant to be more about its survival horror elements than an action-packed outing like the previous ones, it does ultimately make sense that Cregger would aim for a shorter runtime with Resident Evil. Additionally, should it prove to be a record-breaking hit for the franchise, the less-is-more approach will properly leave audiences wanting more and pave the way for follow-ups to have longer runtimes.
- Release Date
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September 18, 2026
- Director
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Zach Cregger
- Writers
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Shay Hatten, Zach Cregger
