LOS ANGELES, USA (AP) — Resident Evil: Retribution ruled the box office this weekend, taking in an estimated US$21.1 million.

The fifth film in the Sony Screen Gems action franchise, starring Milla Jovovich, debuted at Number one, the studio reported yesterday.

That topped the 3-D rerelease of the Disney Pixar animated favourite Finding Nemo, which opened in second place with US$17.5 million.

And in limited release, The Master had a staggeringly strong opening, making US$729,745 on just five screens in New York and Los Angeles, The Weinstein Co reported. That’s a record-smashing per-screen average of US$145,949. The Paul Thomas Anderson drama stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic cult leader and Joaquin Phoenix as his wayward protégé.

The 3-D Resident Evil: Retribution was directed by Jovovich’s husband, Paul WS Anderson, who has made three of the five films. It features the actress once again as the warrior Alice, the last hope for the human race as an evil corporation unleashes a deadly virus that creates more flesh-eating undead on a worldwide scale. And fittingly, the film performed even better internationally, where it made a healthy US$50 million.

“You have to give so much credit for that to Milla,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s head of distribution.

“She’s such an incredible star and absolutely just works so hard in every country. Whether it’s Russia or Japan, everywhere she’s gone, she’s worked so hard in regards to making the franchise a success.”