2026 promises to be a great year for horror fans. Robert Eggers, known for Nosferatu, is already planning a follow-up film called Werwulf. Zach Cregger is finally tackling Resident Evil in a way that should please both longtime fans and new viewers. We’ll also see what might be the last Scream movie, Scream 7, which seems to be aiming for a definitive ending. And the directors of the recent Scream films, Radio Silence, are returning to the fun, suspenseful style of Ready or Not with a sequel, Ready or Not: Here I Come, which looks excellent. What’s especially exciting is that January – a month usually lacking in strong horror releases – is already proving to be exceptional for the genre this year.
Surprisingly, Primate received positive reviews. And to finish the month strong, Sam Raimi is back with the horror film Send Help, which looks very entertaining. However, Send Help might overshadow the month’s standout horror movie, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This raises a question about what’s next for the 28 Years Later franchise.
Will We Get Round Three of 28 Years Later?
While Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later isn’t a poor film, Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a clear step forward. The original film established the foundation, but DaCosta deserves significant praise for joining the series and creating what is arguably the most compelling movie of the four.
However, in reality, being good doesn’t always guarantee success, and that’s definitely true for The Bone Temple. To understand why, let’s look at the bigger picture.
With a budget of $60 million, 28 Years Later was slightly less expensive than The Bone Temple, which cost $63 million to make. To be successful, it needed to perform similarly to director Danny Boyle’s 2025 film. Ideally, it would open with around $30 million in ticket sales. If its opening weekend was lower, it would need to maintain strong performance over time, earning $70 million domestically and another $80 million internationally.
The film opened with $14.4 million over the four-day weekend, which was less than half of what the first movie earned in just three days. Even more concerning, it experienced a huge 71.2% drop in attendance for its second weekend, bringing in only $3.6 million. This is a steeper decline than the 67.5% drop the previous film saw. While Winter Storm Fern likely played a role, it’s now clear that The Bone Temple is a box office failure. Its earnings haven’t been strong internationally either, with a domestic total of $20.7 million and a worldwide total of $25.3 million after two weekends – and that’s likely all the money it will make. The film’s numbers will continue to fall quickly, especially with the new release of Send Help attracting horror fans.
Honestly, it really bums me out that The Bone Temple hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves, because it’s truly amazing. For me, it’s the second-best film in the series, right after 28 Days Later. The emotional moments are incredibly powerful, Ralph Fiennes is fantastic as always, and Jack O’Connell delivers an even stronger performance than he did in Sinners and Money Monster – and he was the best part of Money Monster, even though that movie itself was just okay.
To be realistic, it’s uncertain if this new version will even connect with viewers on streaming platforms. Some people might try it and then recommend it as an improvement over the original, but others may avoid it altogether because they disliked the first one so much.
Basically, the extra scene at the end seems to hint at a sequel that might not actually happen. However, there’s definitely potential to market and sell this movie as it is.
This could be a fresh start for the series, continuing the story of Spike. As fans of The Bone Temple know, Cillian Murphy will return as Jim. Murphy is a highly reliable actor, especially after his success with Oppenheimer. Those who enjoyed the original 28 Days Later but skipped The Bone Temple would likely be eager to see a third 28 Years film, just to find out what happened to the character they loved.
It’s less certain whether a general audience will enjoy this film. While Eddie Murphy is a reliable draw, it’s unclear if his name alone is enough to attract viewers to a dark and violent zombie movie. If the production costs are lowered—they’ve already cut the expensive temple set—the film doesn’t need to appeal to everyone. However, it would likely be more accessible than The Bone Temple, which required viewers to have seen 28 Years Later and to understand the controversial figure of Jimmy Savile. That film’s story was very specific, centering around a Satanist referencing an abuser and a strangely-colored doctor living amongst bones.
While a third 28 Years Later movie might not be necessary, it doesn’t have to be a risky investment for Sony. The story seems like it could be a simpler, more contained survival story – similar to the original Night of the Living Dead, perhaps set on a farm – which would keep production costs down. Even a modest success would likely surpass the box office numbers of The Bone Temple.
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2026-01-28 01:19