Sony Eyes Oscar Glory for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil After Record-Breaking Reviews

A horror movie gunning for Oscars used to be a punchline. After the last few years, it is starting to look like a strategy. Sony is mounting an awards-season push for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil following its record-breaking reviews, per entertainment reporting.

The film holds a 96 percent score on review aggregators — the highest-rated entry in the entire Resident Evil franchise, and a number most prestige dramas would envy. For a series long associated with B-movie mayhem rather than critical respectability, the turnaround is staggering.

Marketing the Masterpiece

Sony is not being subtle about the campaign. Marketing posters are already leaning into the film's awards reputation, quoting TheWrap critic William Bibbiani, who praised Cregger as a modern master of horror. When your one-sheet reads like a For Your Consideration ad, the intentions are clear.

And Cregger has recent precedent on his side. His previous film, Weapons, earned Amy Madigan the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress after grossing $270 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. The message to voters is implicit: you recognized him before, and this one is even bigger.

An Original Vision

Part of the film's awards case is that it is not a glorified remake. Cregger co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten, crafting an all-new story rather than adapting any single game from the franchise — a creative swing that paid off both critically and commercially.

Cregger told Deadline that the idea came to him on the Barbarian set in Bulgaria, when producer Roy Lee asked which video game franchise he would adapt. His answer: only Resident Evil. It was not a mercenary IP grab; it was the one property he felt he had something to say about.

Technical Categories Are the Target

Sony is reportedly realistic about the odds. The studio's focus is expected to be on technical categories, given the genre film's historically tough odds with voters in the major races. Horror has broken through before — think of the craft recognition for films that redefined the genre — but the path runs through sound, production design, makeup, and visual effects.

With $200 million and counting at the box office and the best reviews of the franchise's life, Resident Evil has already won the only campaign that truly matters. The Oscars would just be the encore.

The Bigger Picture

Whether or not the campaign converts into nominations, the push itself is a statement about how far the genre has come. A decade ago, the idea of a Resident Evil movie being discussed in the same breath as awards season would have been laughed out of the room. Now it is a legitimate news story — and a plausible one.

Cregger has made a career out of exceeding expectations, from the surprise breakout of Barbarian to the awards breakthrough of Weapons. If anyone can drag a zombie franchise into the Dolby Theatre, it is probably him.