Which movie franchise should hang it up, Underworld or Resident Evil?

By George L. Cook III. Horror Books & Movies

Believe it or not the Underworld and Resident Evil movie franchises have been around since 2003. Underworld launched in 2003 and Resident Evil in 2002. The two series have a few things in common.

They have strong female leads.

Not much to write about here, Alice and Selene are two sexy bad asses who both look good in tight leather. Both are also the best thing about their prospective franchises.

The two franchises are critic proof.

Neither series will ever be equated with high art. The movies are often badly acted, badly written, and sometimes difficult to follow with all the damn jump cuts. All that aside they give their fans what they want, action, zombies, vampires, lycans, explosions, and sexy bad asses who look good in tight leather.

Both series are very profitbale, especially when you consider the international market.

The Resident Evil franchise will make over a billion dollars with the release of the latest film, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The Underworld films have grossed over $534 million with the release of the latest film, UnderWorld: Blood Wars.

All that being said both series seem to have hit their peak. Some would say that they hit their peaks two to three films ago. Underworld: Blood Wars has not done well domestically at all. The film has only grossed $29.2 million in it's four weeks of release which is shocking when you consider that the last film in the franchise Underworld Awakening made $25.3 million in it's opening weekend alone. Blood Wars will not come close to the $62.3 million that Awakening made.

The numbers appear to be a little better for the latest RE release. The Final Chapter seems to be headed for a $15 opening weekend which means it should do as well as the last film in the series Resident Evil: Retribution which grossed $42 million. It may even have a shot at the $50 million that both the second and third films in the series grossed. That being said it seems like it's the end of the road for this incarnation of the Resident Evil series.

There could still be another UnderWorld film if Blood Wars does well internationally and although this is the end of Alice's story in the Resident Evil universe there is no reason the story/cash cow couldn't be continued with S.T.A.R.S. or Leon S. Kennedy.

So what series do you think has emptied the tank and should just quit while they are ahead, Underworld or Resident Evil? Or should both series hang it up?