28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Sets Franchise U-Turn With Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

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The new movie, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is breaking records on Rotten Tomatoes. The story follows Spike (Alfie Williams) as he falls in with a daring acrobatic troupe called The Jimmys, led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) works with an infected man named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) hoping to find a potential cure.

Before it even came out, critics loved The Bone Temple, especially its thoughtful mix of moods and its exploration of big ideas about belief and meaninglessness in a world after the apocalypse. The acting by Fiennes and O’Connell was particularly praised, and director Nia DaCosta was commended for showing the characters’ different perspectives and inner lives. This resulted in an incredible 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – the best score ever for a film in this series.

Viewers are loving the new movie, 28 Years Later, just as much as the original. Currently, it has a 90% audience score based on more than 500 reviews – a fantastic result considering how people reacted to the first film.

28 Later Movies Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
28 Days Later (2002) 87% 85%
28 Weeks Later (2007) 73% 66%
28 Years Later (2025) 89% 63%
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 94% 90%

While the first movie, 28 Years Later, received mixed reactions, critics and audiences generally agree on The Bone Temple. The 2025 sequel proved much more controversial, leaving many moviegoers confused by its ending, which resulted in a very low audience score of just 63%.

I’m absolutely thrilled with the latest installment, The Bone Temple! It’s amazing to see such a positive reaction – the audience score is actually the highest the franchise has ever seen, even beating out the beloved 28 Days Later! Everyone’s really connecting with the story and the characters, especially the complex dynamic between Dr. Kelson and Sir Jimmy. Sure, some people wished there was a bit more action or more glimpses of the infected, but honestly, that seems like a small price to pay for a movie with such a strong, character-focused narrative. It’s a huge turning point for the series, and I couldn’t be happier!

Even though 28 Years Later had a rocky start, The Bone Temple seems to have regained some fans. However, early numbers suggest it’s performing significantly lower than the previous film; projections estimate a $13.2 million opening weekend, compared to the $30 million earned by the third movie. There’s still hope that positive reviews and audience buzz could boost the franchise, particularly since the creators originally intended to tell this story over three films.

A third movie in the 28 Years Later series is officially in the works, which is great news after it wasn’t clear if one would ever happen. Director Danny Boyle explained that the movie’s success at the box office would be key to getting a sequel made. Sony confirmed the film in December 2025, citing positive early reactions to The Bone Temple.

Cillian Murphy returns as Jim in the new film, a continuation of his performance confirmed by both him and the director. While his part is brief in this installment, the ending of The Bone Temple suggests his character will be more important in the next sequel. Fans should definitely watch for the continuation to find out what happens next.

After 28 Years Later, the film Bone Temple is now showing in cinemas. A third movie is planned, but its release date hasn’t been announced yet.

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2026-01-17 22:31