Street Fighter Crushed by Resident Evil at the Box Office, Game Adaptations Get Harder
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- Film Street Fighter hanya meraup USD 31 juta pada akhir pekan pembukaan, jauh di bawah Resident Evil yang mencatat USD 60 juta.
- Kegagalan ini menegaskan bahwa strategi adaptasi yang mengandalkan fan service dan karakter ikonik belum tentu efektif di pasar global.
- Industri film akan mengamati apakah Street Fighter mampu bangkit atau justru memperkuat dominasi pendekatan Resident Evil yang lebih berani.
The Street Fighter film adaptation debuted at the box office with USD 31 million over its opening weekend, only half of what Resident Evil took in with USD 60 million over the same period. The gap signals that not every popular game franchise can be turned into a big-screen draw, even with a loyal fan base.
According to a Deadline report, Street Fighter, adapted from Capcom's fighting game series, also trails Mortal Kombat 2, another fighting game adaptation released this year. Even so, the revenue was still in line with industry expectations before launch. The surprise instead came from the documentary You Can See Everything about Elizabeth Holmes, which posted the second-biggest opening for a documentary in theaters with USD 15 million.
The difference in adaptation approaches is drawing attention. Street Fighter chose to spotlight famous characters, fan service, and the uniqueness of its IP to attract audiences. Resident Evil, meanwhile, took the essence and themes of its franchise and wove them into a completely original story. Despite drawing criticism for not featuring characters from the games, the success of Resident Evil compared with Street Fighter shows that an original approach is more effective.
For Indonesia's entertainment industry, this phenomenon offers a valuable lesson. Adaptations of local IP, whether from games, comics, or novels, often face the dilemma of satisfying hardcore fans while attracting general audiences. The Resident Evil approach, which dared to depart from the conventions of its source material, can serve as an example that creativity in storytelling is more decisive for success in a broader market.
"Resident Evil's success shows that audiences appreciate a fresh story, not just a repetition of iconic scenes from the game," said a box office analyst quoted by Deadline.
Both films will remain in theaters through the Halloween holiday and face competition from Clayface. The question is, will Street Fighter be able to close the gap, or will it only reinforce that game adaptations should no longer rely on nostalgia alone?
