Overseas audiences are heaven for ‘Afterlife’

“Resident Evil” has found a new life overseas with “Afterlife.”

The fourth movie based on the horror video-game series, “Resident Evil: Afterlife” has sold $103.2 million worth of tickets to foreign audiences in 10 days. That’s more than any of the previous three “Resident Evil” pictures generated overseas in total.

Sony Pictures, the film’s distributor, is projecting that “Afterlife” ultimately will take in more than $200 million internationally. The previous foreign high for the series was the last entry, 2007’s “Resident Evil: Extinction,” which grossed $97.1 million.

The 3-D technology being used for the first time in a “Resident Evil” movie appears to be a major reason for the international strength of “Afterlife.” Several other recent 3-D pictures, including “Shrek Forever After,” “Clash of the Titans” and “Avatar,” have performed far better overseas than they did domestically.

Receipts for “Afterlife” are bigger than those of “Extinction” in nearly every country, with particularly strong results in Japan, where the games are made, as well as Russia, Germany, Mexico, South Korea and Brazil.

Domestically, “Afterlife” is faring about the same as “Extinction” did, accounting for ticket price inflation and 3-D ticket surcharges. It is on track to end up with about $60 million in the U.S. and Canada, compared with $51 million for “Extinction.”

Constantin Film spent nearly $60 million to make “Afterlife” and sold distribution rights in most markets, except Germany and German-speaking territories, to Sony for $52 million.

—Ben Fritz