’28 Years Later’ Scares Up $30 Million Domestic Debut With $60 Million Worldwide

A whole lot more is riding on 28 Years Later than was riding on 28 Days Later back in 2002, with the new movie’s reported $75 million budget absolutely dwarfing the original’s $8 million. There’s also the fact that it’s intended to start a new trilogy of infection movies, with sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple already filmed and ready for release in early 2026.

Whether or not the third movie in that planned 28 Years Later trilogy ever takes shape, well, that unfortunately depends entirely on how well these first two movies do at the box office.

28 Years Later debuted in the #2 spot on the domestic box office charts – behind How to Train Your Dragon – over the weekend, scaring up an estimated $30 million domestically and $60 million worldwide. That gives it the highest opening for the franchise by a long shot, with 28 Days Later debuting to $10 million domestically and 28 Weeks Later to $9.8 million.

The film now has the third highest opening for the horror genre this year, behind Sinners and Final Destination Bloodlines, but again the story here is the budget it took to bring this epic horror odyssey to the big screen. It’ll need to have legs in the coming weeks to justify the spend, and the good news there is that the reviews for 28 Years Later have been largely positive. The film is currently 89% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own Meagan Navarro calling it a “riveting blend of horror and heart,” one that reminds that “death, horror’s favorite equalizer, can be as beautiful as it can be cruel.” Read the full Bloody Disgusting review here.

Stay tuned for more 28 Years Later box office updates in the coming weeks.

The long awaited sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later puts Danny Boyle back in the director’s chair, with Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina, Annihilation) scripting.

In 28 Years Later, “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”

Alfie Williams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes star.

The second installment in this new trilogy will release in theaters on January 16, 2026. It’s titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and it’s directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman).

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