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  • Watch: Trump says ban on some news outlets is ‘because they’re fake news’

    Watch: Trump says ban on some news outlets is ‘because they’re fake news’

    In a controversial move that sent shockwaves through American political journalism, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on a Friday that he was moving immediately to revoke press access to the White House for three prominent media organizations: CNN, MSNBC, and Politico. In direct, on-camera comments that were captured on video and rapidly circulated across social media and news platforms, Trump explicitly tied the restrictive ban to his longstanding public criticism of the outlets, declaring the action was being taken ‘because they’re fake news.’

    The decision marked a sharp escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing conflict with the national press corps, which had been a defining feature of his tenure from its earliest days. For months leading up to the announcement, Trump had repeatedly taken to social media and public rallies to denounce coverage from the three outlets, framing critical reporting on his administration’s policies, personnel, and conduct as intentionally misleading and biased against his presidency.

    Media freedom advocates and industry groups immediately condemned the ban as an unprecedented attack on the principle of a free press, which is protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Critics noted that restricting access to official government spaces based on a leader’s disapproval of coverage undermines the core role of the press as a watchdog over governmental power, leaving the public without independent information about the actions of their elected leaders. Supporters of the move, aligned with Trump’s base, echoed his claims of widespread media bias, arguing that the outlets had long abandoned objective reporting in favor of sustained opposition to his agenda.

  • Donald Trump says he is banning CNN and Politico from White House

    Donald Trump says he is banning CNN and Politico from White House

    U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited his long-running war with the American press, announcing an immediate ban on White House access for three prominent outlets — CNN, MSNBC (referred to as MS NOW in the original announcement) and Politico. The latest escalation of tensions between the Trump administration and independent media came via a lengthy public post on Truth Social Friday, where the president accused the targeted organizations of a consistent pattern of publishing “fiction or lies” about his administration. Notably, Trump offered no specific examples of alleged false reporting to back up his claim.

    The exact parameters of the ban remain unclear as of publication, with no official confirmation on whether reporters from the three outlets will be fully blocked from entering White House grounds or restricted press access areas. In the hours immediately following the announcement, reporters from both CNN and Politico remained on-site at the White House complex, leaving the implementation of the order uncertain.

    “Media outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when covering the President of the United States, the Trump administration or the United States of America,” Trump wrote in his post, adding a warning that “Other news outlets to follow.” No specific problematic stories or reporting projects were named as the trigger for the access restriction.

    This latest move builds on months of escalating conflict between the Trump White House and the Washington press corps that began when Trump returned to office in January 2025. Just one month after his inauguration, the administration seized control of the White House press pool — the rotating group of reporters that accompanies the president for on-the-record coverage — ending a 100-plus-year arrangement where the pool was managed by the independent White House Correspondents’ Association.

    That same February, the administration barred Associated Press reporters and photographers from restricted access spaces including the Oval Office and Air Force One. The punishment came in response to the AP’s refusal to adopt the Trump administration’s preferred renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The AP immediately filed a federal lawsuit over the restriction, and the case remains pending in court.

    Open conflict between Trump and reporters is now a regular occurrence during on-the-record encounters, with the president repeatedly labeling critical coverage “fake news” and launching personal attacks on reporters he labels “rude.” This is not the first time Trump has targeted CNN specifically: during his first presidential term, he revoked the White House press pass of veteran CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, only restoring the credential after CNN filed a successful lawsuit against the administration.

    Throughout his political career, Trump has pursued legal action against a wide range of major U.S. and international news organizations, including high-profile cases against The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. The BBC has confirmed it has formally requested comment from the White House on Trump’s latest announcement, and legal experts widely expect the new ban to face immediate legal challenges from the targeted outlets and national press freedom advocacy groups.

  • Is the Kennedy Center losing ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’?

    Is the Kennedy Center losing ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’?

    A viral claim has recently circulated claiming that the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. is facing catastrophic losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, sparking widespread discussion about the financial health of one of the nation’s most prominent cultural institutions. But a thorough review of the center’s 2024 official financial records tells a far different story. When all sources of revenue—including philanthropic contributions from private donors and public grant funding from federal and local arts agencies—are fully accounted for, the Kennedy Center actually closed its latest financial cycle with a multi-million dollar surplus. The Kennedy Center, which serves as the United States’ national cultural hub, hosts thousands of performances, educational programs, and community outreach initiatives every year, relying on a mix of ticket sales, private donations, and public grants to cover its operating costs. Critics and misinformed sources have focused solely on operating gaps from core ticket revenue to inflate claims of massive financial failure, ignoring the critical role of contributed income that the center has always depended on to fulfill its non-profit public mission. The 2024 financial data confirms that the institution’s balanced budgeting strategy has delivered a positive financial outcome, quelling unfounded rumors about its fiscal stability. The surplus comes as the Kennedy Center continues to expand its access programs, bringing performing arts experiences to underserved communities across the country and maintaining its status as a leading global destination for cultural exchange. Industry analysts note that for major non-profit arts institutions, structural operating gaps covered by philanthropy and public grants are standard practice, and the 2024 surplus reflects strong management of both fundraising and operational expenses amid ongoing post-pandemic recovery for the live performing arts sector.

  • Watch: Patrick Clancy’s new wife describes him as ‘selfless father’

    Watch: Patrick Clancy’s new wife describes him as ‘selfless father’

    For the first time since the conclusion of Lindsay Clancy’s high-profile murder trial, Patrick Clancy and his new wife have opened up about their experiences in a televised interview. The conversation, conducted by CBS, the US-based broadcasting partner of the UK’s BBC, marks the couple’s first public comments since the trial reached its verdict.

    During the interview, Patrick Clancy’s new spouse described him as a deeply committed and selfless father, pushing back against some of the narratives that have emerged about Clancy in the wake of the legal proceedings. The interview comes after months of intense media scrutiny surrounding the case, which gripped public attention following the initial allegations and subsequent trial. The couple’s decision to speak publicly comes as they attempt to regain a sense of normalcy for their family, addressing lingering questions from the public and press while sharing their perspective on life after the trial.

  • ‘We simply don’t know’ – JP Morgan struggling to forecast oil prices due to Trump’s war with Iran

    ‘We simply don’t know’ – JP Morgan struggling to forecast oil prices due to Trump’s war with Iran

    Leading global investment banking powerhouse JP Morgan has issued an extraordinary public acknowledgment that it cannot reliably forecast how oil prices will shift in the wake of the ongoing US-Iran conflict, telling investors in a candid analyst note that “we simply don’t know how to model the endgame” of the crisis.

    When the conflict first erupted six months prior to the note, JP Morgan’s research team built projections around a set of key assumptions: that the Trump administration would enforce non-negotiable “economic red lines” that it would refuse to cross, making a diplomatic deal to reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz a foregone conclusion by June. The bank identified four clear red lines that it believed would force Washington to seek a rapid resolution: oil prices climbing above $100 per barrel, US inflation hitting 4%, average retail gasoline topping $5 per gallon, and 10-year U.S. Treasury yields reaching 5%.

    Half a year on, however, the situation has flipped: while gasoline still stays below the $5 threshold and inflation has not yet hit the 4% mark, oil prices have rallied back above $100 a barrel in recent weeks, and 10-year Treasury yields have crossed the 5% benchmark. “Many of those lines have been crossed, yet the exit strategy is less clear, not more,” JP Morgan’s commodities research team wrote in the note. “For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don’t have a baseline view. We simply don’t know how to model the endgame.”

    The admission from one of the most influential institutions in global finance lays bare just how difficult it has become to anticipate policy moves from former President Donald Trump amid the escalating regional crisis. An anonymous oil and gas industry source speaking to the BBC noted that it is highly unusual for such a high-profile investment firm to issue such a transparent note acknowledging a total lack of forecasting clarity, but added that the move is an honest reflection of the current high-uncertainty environment surrounding the conflict. Oil prices are a core input for inflation forecasting globally, as the commodity underpins nearly every sector of the modern economy, meaning even small shifts can reshape investment decisions across all asset classes. Currently, “The market is on edge,” JP Morgan analysts noted.

    Adding to the fog of uncertainty, Trump himself confirmed last week that he does not expect the US-Iran war to conclude before November’s U.S. midterm elections. “Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”

    Sustained high oil prices have already driven sharp increases in the cost of living across the United States and the globe, with energy and fuel costs rising rapidly ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter heating season. This week, the U.S. Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank, implemented its first interest rate hike in more than three years, and signaled that further increases could continue through 2027 in an effort to cool persistent inflation. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh justified the move by noting that “inflation is too high and has been for too long,” a position Trump has publicly rejected.

    Even with current trading prices above $100 per barrel, JP Morgan analysts estimate that the “fair value” of Brent crude for September sits around $90 a barrel. The gap between fair value and current market pricing, they explained, reflects the extra risk premium traders are adding to account for the growing threat of broader trade disruption across key Middle Eastern chokepoints.

    Beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the note identifies new supply risks emerging at another critical global shipping route: the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi forces have seized territory at the mouth of the waterway. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to add additional upward pressure on global oil markets as well. With no clear signals of imminent de-escalation in either conflict, analysts noted that the long-held assumption that global oil supply disruptions would prove temporary is “becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.”

  • Warren Buffett steps down after six decades at Berkshire – ‘Father Time always wins’

    Warren Buffett steps down after six decades at Berkshire – ‘Father Time always wins’

    After nearly six decades at the helm of one of the world’s most powerful corporate giants, legendary investor Warren Buffett has formally stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, capping off a years-long leadership succession plan that brings his son Howard Buffett into the top board role.

    Now 96 years old, the investor widely known as the “Oracle of Omaha” will transition into the honorary position of chairman emeritus, where he will retain a seat on the company’s board of directors to continue contributing his decades of wisdom, judgment and unique market perspective to the firm, according to an official letter released to shareholders this week.

    The leadership handover comes nine months after Buffett already passed the title of chief executive officer to Greg Abel, who now oversees all daily corporate strategy and capital allocation decisions. Howard Buffett, who has served as a Berkshire Hathaway board director since 1993, will take on the non-executive chairman role, with his core responsibility defined as stewarding the multinational conglomerate’s foundational culture and core values. A former farmer, county sheriff and active philanthropist, the younger Buffett brings more than 30 years of boardroom experience to the new position.

    Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling 19th-century New England textile mill, which he took control of in 1965, into a $1.1 trillion global conglomerate with a diverse portfolio that spans major household brands. Today, the company owns full operations across industry leaders including auto insurance giant GEICO, fast-food chain Dairy Queen, and freight railway network BNSF, while holding major equity stakes in blue-chip companies including Apple and Coca-Cola — a brand closely associated with Buffett, who has long been open about his habit of drinking five cans of the soda daily.

    A pioneer of value investing, Buffett revolutionized modern investment strategy by popularizing an approach focused on identifying undervalued companies with strong, sustainable fundamentals, purchasing stakes at fair market prices, and holding those investments for decades to generate long-term growth. Beyond his unmatched investment track record, his plain-spoken annual shareholder letters and the hugely popular, festival-style annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings turned him into a globally respected mentor for generations of investors and business leaders across the financial industry.

    The transition has been planned for years, and industry analysts frame the move as an orderly passing of the torch rather than a sudden disruption to the firm. Buffett wrote in his letter that the timing felt right to complete the succession process, noting that he recently marked his 96th birthday alongside the first birthday of one of his great-grandchildren — who, he joked, “is moving a bit faster” than he these days.
    Berkshire Hathaway has moved to reassure investors that all day-to-day business operations will remain unchanged and stable following the leadership shift. In closing his letter, Buffett reflected on his decades leading the firm, writing that serving as chairman has been the “privilege of a lifetime,” while acknowledging the inevitability of transition, noting that “Father Time always wins.”

  • Why an American football game played the Canadian national anthem

    Why an American football game played the Canadian national anthem

    Nestled just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto across Lake Ontario, the Buffalo Bills’ brand-new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium has long drawn a passionate fanbase that crosses the US-Canada border. When the franchise hosted its 2025 season home opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, that cross-border connection took center stage in a heartfelt moment that cut through soaring political and trade tensions between the two North American neighbors.

    Despite the fact that no Canadian franchise competes in the National Football League, the sport counts nearly 15 million Canadian fans—roughly one-third of the country’s total population. For the Bills, this northern fanbase is not just a casual niche: industry data shows 10 to 15 percent of the team’s season ticket holders live in Canada, and the combined population of nearby Greater Toronto and Hamilton exceeds 8 million, far outstripping the 1.5 million residents of western New York. This massive adjacent market has made Canadian support a core pillar of the Bills’ business model.

    In a surprising but intentional nod to this loyal northern following, the Bills opened the game with a performance of *O Canada*, delivered by iconic 1990s Canadian rock group the Barenaked Ladies. The stadium field was adorned with both the American stars and stripes and Canada’s maple leaf flag, and thousands of fans in the sold-out crowd joined in to sing the anthem with full enthusiasm. Pre-game tailgates, a beloved American game-day tradition, were already packed with Canadian fans decked out in the Bills’ trademark red, white and blue, many of whom had crossed the border hours early to explore the new facility and soak in the opening day atmosphere.

    The warm reception of the Canadian anthem comes at a time of unprecedented friction between Washington and Ottawa. Since Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency, bilateral relations have frayed rapidly: Trump has repeated controversial calls to annex Canada, renamed Lake Ontario (which sits between the two nations) to Lake America via executive order, and launched an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has hit industries on both sides of the border hard. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly stated Canada is “at war” with the US over trade, while Trump has lashed out at Canada, calling the country “nasty” and “entitled”. In response to the trade hostilities, many Canadian consumers have boycotted travel and spending in the US, and cross-border economic activity has dropped sharply.

    For many Canadian fans in attendance, the anthem performance felt like a meaningful gesture of solidarity amid the political rancor. Ben Kerr, a fan from Bradford, Ontario who traveled to the game, noted that he intentionally bought all his food and beer in Canada before crossing the border to avoid supporting the US economy during the tariff dispute. Even so, he said he has always felt welcome in Buffalo, and called the Bills’ decision “a nice acknowledgement” of Canadian fans’ role in the team’s success. This is not the first time Buffalo’s sports community has rallied behind its northern neighbors: during an April Buffalo Sabres NHL playoff game, a microphone failure cut off the live performance of *O Canada*, and the entire crowd filled in to sing the anthem in full—a moment that moved Canadian fans across the region.

    Many American fans at the game echoed that cross-border warmth. Drew Grier, a local resident who lives just eight minutes from Highmark Stadium, framed the anthem performance as a core part of Buffalo’s identity as a border community. “If anyone is polarizing it, it’s coming from those outside here, because those of us here, we love Canada,” he said. Even fans of opposing teams supported the gesture. Carol Breed, a 74-year-old die-hard Detroit Lions fan from Battle Creek, Michigan, who was unable to attend the opener, celebrated the decision by organizing her own cross-border tribute: she drove across the new Gordie Howe International Bridge (which itself has become a point of recent bilateral tension) and sang the US anthem until reaching the halfway point, then switched to *O Canada*. “I just hate what Trump has done to the partnership,” she said, noting that for many Michiganders, Canada is viewed as nothing less than family.

    Not all feedback was positive, however. A small number of fans pushed back on social media and in post-game comments, arguing that playing the Canadian anthem was unnecessary when no Canadian team was competing on the field. “The only acceptable reason to sing that anthem would be if they were playing a Canadian team, but they don’t play any Canadian teams,” one fan posted online. Attendee David Waring echoed that sentiment, saying he did not think the gesture was needed.

    But for team leadership and NFL Canada, the decision was a straightforward reflection of economic and social reality. Gavin Kemp, who has led the NFL Canada office for eight years, explained that the Bills were simply “leaning into one of their biggest parts of their market”. Kemp added that sports has a unique ability to rise above political divisions: “All this politics is kind of secondary to the fact that your team is doing fantastic right now.” For countless cross-border fans on both sides Thursday night, that message rang clear.

  • Uber ordered to pay $40m to family of woman killed after driver left her on highway

    Uber ordered to pay $40m to family of woman killed after driver left her on highway

    A California arbitration process has ended with ride-hailing giant Uber being mandated to pay $40 million in damages to the family of 23-year-old Emily Normandin-Parker, a UCLA graduate who was killed by a passing vehicle after her Uber driver forced her out of the car on a busy highway in August 2023.

    Court documents detail that Normandin-Parker had booked an Uber ride home alongside a friend, when the friend became ill and vomited inside the vehicle. Both young women were intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to official filings. Normandin-Parker’s parents say their daughter made the safe, responsible decision to book a ride rather than drive herself, a choice that ultimately cost her life.

    The driver, identified as Vu Tran, pulled onto the shoulder of the highway to eject both passengers instead of driving to a nearby exit to drop them off in a secure, well-lit location. After leaving the two women stranded on the side of the highway, Tran did not contact emergency services for assistance. Instead, he left the scene to call Uber solely to request a cleaning fee from Normandin-Parker’s family, showing far greater concern for damage to his new vehicle than the safety of his passengers, according to retired judge and arbitrator Richard Stone, who oversaw the five-day arbitration process.

    Shortly after being forced out of the car, Normandin-Parker was struck by another passing vehicle and killed instantly. Her family, represented by the national law firm Panish, Shea, Ravipudi, pursued legal action against Uber, which had long argued that its drivers are classified as independent contractors, and therefore the company bears no legal liability for driver actions.

    Arbitrator Stone rejected Uber’s liability argument and issued the binding $40 million damage award in favor of the victim’s parents. The law firm for the family also revealed that Uber had initially offered a $10 million out-of-court settlement that included a non-disclosure agreement barring the family from speaking publicly about the incident, which the family outright refused.

    In a post-ruling statement to the Wall Street Journal, Uber said it disagreed with the arbitrator’s decision to hold the company legally responsible for the fatal incident. The company added that it has implemented a series of safety updates in recent years, including new technological tools, updated policies, and safety guidance that explicitly instructs drivers to avoid dropping passengers off in dangerous locations like highway shoulders. The BBC has confirmed that it reached out to Uber for additional comment on the ruling, and the company has not yet issued further public statement.

    In a statement released after the ruling, Normandin-Parker’s parents said: “Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do – she made the responsible choice not to drive and we trusted Uber to get her home safely. That trust cost our daughter her life.” Arbitrator Stone echoed the family’s sentiment in his ruling, noting that Tran’s choice to strand the young women on a highway shoulder was an egregious lapse of responsibility that could have been avoided entirely with a short detour to a safe drop-off location.

  • Watch: Sixth batch of UFO files includes orbs from 1952

    Watch: Sixth batch of UFO files includes orbs from 1952

    A long-awaited new batch of declassified unidentified flying object (UFO) records has been made public, and among the most compelling additions to the historical archive is never-before-seen footage of glowing airborne orbs documented all the way back in 1952.

    The visual record was captured by a serving officer with the United States Navy, who witnessed the cluster of unusual bright objects moving through the sky in an uncontrolled, unidentifiable pattern. Following the encounter, the Navy officer followed official protocol and filed a detailed report of the sighting, along with the footage he had captured, with the U.S. Air Force’s formal UFO investigation program, the body tasked at the time with examining unexplained aerial phenomena reported across the country.

    This release marks the sixth round of previously classified UFO files opened to public scrutiny, part of a broader ongoing push toward greater government transparency around unexplained aerial encounters that stretches back decades. Researchers, ufologists, and members of the public have long pushed for access to these sealed government records, arguing that open access allows for independent analysis of historical encounters that have never been fully explained.

    The 1952 orb footage joins hundreds of other documents, sighting reports, and visual materials that have been declassified in recent years, offering new opportunities for researchers to examine patterns in historical UFO sightings and re-analyze previously unpublicized evidence from early Cold War-era U.S. military investigations into unexplained aerial activity.

  • Resident Evil movie director says he was not prepared for fan backlash

    Resident Evil movie director says he was not prepared for fan backlash

    When you pair one of the horror genre’s most buzzed-about modern directors with the best-selling survival horror video game series in history, it is a combination that was always bound to spark intense conversation and high expectations. That exact pairing has arrived in the form of Zach Cregger’s *Resident Evil*, a brand-new big-screen adaptation of Capcom’s legendary franchise that has already divided fans ahead of release, even as critics praise its creative approach to bringing the game experience to life.

    First launched in 1996 for the original Sony PlayStation by Japanese game developer Capcom, *Resident Evil* revolutionized the video game landscape. Unlike most 1990s games that cast players as overpowered, unflappable heroes, the original *Resident Evil* forced audiences to navigate terrifying environments with scarce ammo, limited healing items, and constant dread — a formula that invented the survival horror genre and spawned one of gaming’s most enduring franchises. Across nearly 30 years of smart remakes, innovative reinventions, and expanded lore, the series has sold more than 213 million copies worldwide, built a global fanbase that obsessively dissects its story and characters, and turned locations like Raccoon City into household names for gamers.

    Cregger, who earned widespread acclaim from horror fans and critics alike for his original, boundary-pushing work on hit horror films *Barbarian* and *Weapons*, is a lifelong fan of the *Resident Evil* series. For his adaptation, he opted not to retread the familiar storylines and iconic characters that long-time fans know from the games. Instead, he crafted an entirely original narrative centered on Bryan, a new character portrayed by Austin Abrams — who previously collaborated with Cregger on *Weapons*. Bryan, a working courier, accepts what seems like a routine delivery job to a local hospital in Raccoon City, only to find himself trapped in the opening hours of a deadly viral outbreak that turns ordinary people into bloodthirsty, monstrous creatures. What begins as an ordinary workday quickly devolves into a relentless fight for survival, mirroring the tense, resource-scare experience of playing the original games.

    This creative choice, however, sparked immediate backlash from segments of the *Resident Evil* fanbase when the film’s first trailer dropped online. Comment sections were flooded with complaints questioning the absence of beloved franchise characters like Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Albert Wesker, as well as iconic fan-favorite monsters. Cregger, who has had to repeatedly defend the project from accusations that he is simply cashing in on the *Resident Evil* brand, admits he was caught off guard by the intensity of the criticism.

    “I think I was naive,” Cregger told BBC Newsbeat in an interview. “I was expecting people to be excited to see a Resident Evil movie that felt in the spirit of the games. What I was trying to do is make a movie that really honoured the experience of playing them.”

    This is far from the first time *Resident Evil* has been adapted for the screen. The first big-screen adaptation launched in 2002, kicking off a six-film franchise helmed by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich. While those films eventually gained a cult following, they never won over critics and deviated heavily from the source material’s lore. A 2021 reboot that leaned more closely into the games’ story and a 2022 Netflix original series also failed to satisfy fans and critics alike. Many long-time franchise fans blame Constantin Film, the German production company that owns the live-action film rights to *Resident Evil*, for the consistent low quality of past adaptations. Unconfirmed online reports suggest Constantin’s licensing agreement with Capcom prohibits the studio from setting its adaptations within the official timeline of the games. Cregger also noted that he never received any communication from Capcom during the film’s production, stating: “Nobody from Capcom ever reached out to me, ever, in any way.” Though Constantin declined to comment on the record, BBC Newsbeat has confirmed that informal coordination between Capcom and the film’s production team happened behind the scenes.

    Early critical reviews of Cregger’s *Resident Evil* have been largely positive, with many critics noting that the director successfully delivers on his goal of capturing the feeling of playing a *Resident Evil* game rather than just copying its plot. In a three-star review, NME pondered whether the film marks the first great video game horror adaptation, writing that “for a large chunk of the film’s runtime, the answer is a resounding yes” — though the review criticized Bryan’s encounters for growing repetitive in the second half. The Jam Report’s Doug Jamieson awarded the film four stars, praising Cregger’s approach: “He understands adaptation as translation rather than imitation.” Looper critic Alastair Ryder gave the film an 8 out of 10 score, writing, “Zach Cregger has done the best job I’ve seen of translating the experience of playing a video game and making it feel cinematic.”

    Cregger says he acknowledges it is almost impossible to please every segment of the franchise’s massive fanbase, and that replicating a game’s plot beat-for-beat was never his goal. “If I had delivered a faithful retelling of one of the stories in the games, I feel like those people would probably be upset with me for that too, because I would have messed it up somehow, inevitably,” he explained. “So all I can do is just tell the story that I think is going to be the very best story. If somebody’s going to have a problem that it doesn’t do exactly what they had in their mind of what a Resident Evil movie is, I can’t say anything to that.”

    While the full verdict from general audiences and the wider fanbase is still pending, the film is currently tracking for a strong opening weekend at the global box office. It arrives in theaters alongside a recent wave of commercially successful video game adaptations, including *The Super Mario Bros. Movie* and *Minecraft*, which earned mixed critical reviews but drew massive audiences worldwide.