The German studio Constantin Film bought the rights to adapt the series to live-action in January 1997. In 2000, Paul W. S. Anderson was announced as writer and director for Resident Evil (2002). Anderson continued as writer and producer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), and returned as the director for Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).

These first six films follow Alice (Milla Jovovich), a character created specifically for the films. Alice is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. Characters from the games appear, including Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, Carlos Oliveira, Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Barry Burton and the antagonists Albert Wesker and James Marcus. In 2021, a reboot film, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, was released.

Though the films have received generally negative reviews from critics, the Resident Evil series has grossed over $1.2 billion. It was once the highest-grossing film series based on a video game and the highest-grossing horror film series, and is the highest-grossing zombie film series.The series retains the record for the most live-action film adaptations of a video game.