Star bankability is a subject of endless debate around Hollywood, especially when it comes to female leads. Studios want guarantees on their investments, which increasingly means big opening weekends and overseas receipts equal to — or greater than — a film’s domestic yield. Respect, photogenic worth and the ability to sell magazines are of far less importance than the simple ability to put butts in seats.



In this context, one of the quieter success stories of the past half decade has been the Resident Evil franchise, starring Milla Jovovich. 2002’s eponymous actioner, based on the popular zombie shoot-’em-up videogame of the same name, turned a claustrophobic setting to its advantage, and raked in $102 million worldwide; 2004’s follow-up pulled in another $129 million worldwide. Now, fresh off a $23.5 million debut frame for Resident Evil: Extinction, the series looks alive and fresher than ever, despite its co-starring hordes of the undead.

Sure, the data can be cherry-picked in Bush-ian fashion (2006’s Ultraviolet, after all, only grossed a combined $31 million the world over), but since 2002 (and not yet counting Extinction), Milla Jovovich has had the same number of $100 million movies as Academy Award-winning Best Actress Hilary Swank, and one more than fellow Oscar winner Charlize Theron. And with the release of Extinction this past weekend, Jovovich did something that even Angelina Jolie couldn’t do with the Tomb Raider franchise — lay claim to an action heroine videogame franchise that will feature three $100 million international hits. All of Theron’s smoldering sex appeal could barely push Aeon Flux past the $50 million mark worldwide. So what gives? For a Jovovich-centric review of Resident Evil: Extinction, from FilmStew, click here.