There was this dude — hardcore gamer, I gather, and fan of the “Resident Evil” film and game franchise, who did this to the beater he drove to work at a Subway shop in Roxboro, N.C.

You just knew they’d never abandon the Racoon City movie series, even after Milla Jovovich priced-out and aged out of being the nubile action heroine who anchored this 24 years and running film franchise. The fans are that dedicated.

So a franchise-best blockbuster opening — $24 million Thursday night and Friday, per Deadline.com — should come as no shock. Especially when Trumpflation is considered.

It did $8.8 million Thursday night alone.

Actor turned director Zach Cregger’s take on the game-turned-movie franchise is winning the best reviews of the series as well. Go figure. I lost whatever interest I had in this game-to-big-screen enterprise long ago, but Cregger means I’ll need to see it.

And The Numbers reports Sunday that it hit $60 million on its opening weekend.

The five and a half million or so gamers and diehards and Cregger fans — he did the superior horror tales “Barbarians” and “Weapons” — and whatever you’d call somebody who paints his car in Umbrella Corp. livery are turning out for this one.

The Sandra Bullock/Nicole Kidman “Practical Magic 2” sequel is doing less than half the business it did opening weekend, 12.1 million, and that’ll easily be good enough for second place.

“The Odyssey” wins weekdays in this portion of its summer-long battle with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” But “Spidey” took in $6.5 million this weekend, “The Odyssey” $4.9.

“Coyote vs. Acme” took fifth $4.512 million weekend. It’s earned $54 million in North America. All that money doesn’t go to Ketchup Entertainment, but they paid $50 for it so they’re going to make money with it, in addition to a splash.

Angel’s “Runner” is on its way to a sixth place $3.18, and the new release “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace” is doing middling business, but $3.14 million got it into seventh, just ahead of the “Transformers,” re-release ($3.1), which sits in eighth place.

New releases “Shaun of the Sheep: The Monster of Mossy Bottom” (11th, $1.9) and the outdoor action pic “The Weight” ($2.55 in tenth with Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe reached a few viewers. Both are good and deserve an audience. Pity Gkids and Vertical didn’t advertise either all that much.

“The Uprising” for sure, “By Any Means” and maybe one other title will fade out.

Look at the take for “Mutiny” (left all theaters Thursday) and “By Any Means” and tell me Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg aren’t seeing the writing on the wall.

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