A Great Horror Movie Trend Backfired For 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

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The latest installment in the horror series arrived in theaters on January 16th with a lot of anticipation. Last summer’s film, 28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, was a hit with critics and earned $151 million globally, making fans eager for the next two movies. The Bone Temple, filmed at the same time as the previous one and directed by Nia DaCosta, has received even better reviews – currently holding a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score in the series.

Despite a lot of pre-release buzz, the movie didn’t perform as well as expected in theaters. While experts predicted a domestic opening weekend of over $20 million, it only earned $14.4 million over the four-day holiday, according to Box Office Mojo. Surprisingly, Avatar: Fire & Ash, with $17.9 million, remained the number one movie for a fifth week. It’s still early days, and positive reviews could improve its performance, but the opening weekend was definitely a letdown for a series hoping to continue with another film.

The movie isn’t necessarily the problem – several things likely caused its slow start, including how audiences felt about 28 Weeks Later. However, after watching The Bone Temple, I think a common Hollywood practice that usually benefits horror films actually hurt this one.

The Bone Temple Should’ve Been Released In October

Movie studios once primarily focused on releasing horror films only in October, but that’s shifted recently. With horror consistently bringing audiences to theaters – especially after the challenges of the pandemic – it’s become a year-round genre, and it’s proving successful!

In 2025, most of the top ten highest-grossing horror films in the U.S. weren’t released in October. Only Black Phone 2 premiered that month. Instead, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was a huge hit in April, and Zach Cregger’s Weapons did incredibly well in August. The Conjuring: Last Rites, released in early September, became the second-highest-grossing horror movie globally (not adjusted for inflation). Interestingly, all three of these successful films were made by Warner Bros., and their smart release schedule played a key role in their success.

Movie Release Date 2025 Domestic Box Office
Sinners April 18, 2025 $279,989,632
The Conjuring: Last Rites September 5, 2025 $177,756,445
Weapons August 8, 2025 $151,572,492
Final Destination: Bloodlines May 16, 2025 $138,254,739
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 December 5, 2025 $121,680,315
Black Phone 2 October 17, 2025 $77,378,880
28 Years Later June 20, 2025 $70,446,897
Nosferatu (2024) December 25, 2024 $47,488,220
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) July 18, 2025 $32,165,634
Heart Eyes February 7, 2025 $30,415,738

Last year, our approach led to a slower October, and 2026 is shaping up similarly. Currently, the only major horror release scheduled is Other Mommy on October 9th. We also have the thriller Whalefall on October 16th and Remain—the new collaboration between M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks—coming out on October 23rd.

“The Bone Temple” deserved to be included in a Halloween-themed list. It’s a genuinely scary horror movie with intense zombie moments and surprisingly graphic violence, and it also explores themes of Satanism. A key scene featuring Ralph Fiennes would have been much more impactful around Halloween than it is now in January, and it would have encouraged more horror fans to watch it together.

Hollywood has generally had good luck releasing horror movies throughout the year. However, January might be a better fit for lighter, more fun horror films like Primate than for darker, more intense franchise installments like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Some horror movies just feel right for an October release.

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2026-01-23 01:21