Why 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Disappointed At The Box Office

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Be warned, this article contains major spoilers for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The new film 28 Years Later successfully revived the popular 28 Days Later franchise, keeping what fans loved about the original while introducing a fresh take on the world infected by the Rage Virus. Remarkably, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple surpassed its already well-received predecessor, earning a higher score on Rotten Tomatoes (currently better than the original’s 88% “Certified Fresh” rating).

Despite receiving the highest critical and audience scores of any film in the series, The Bone Temple didn’t perform well at the box office. It opened with just $12.5 million domestically, far below its $63 million production budget. Although positive reviews, popular music moments, and a shocking ending might help it gain traction through word-of-mouth, it’s likely the movie won’t match the financial success of 28 Years Later.

Despite receiving great reviews and generating a lot of online excitement, The Bone Temple performed surprisingly poorly in theaters. Several issues contributed to its box office failure, and this could jeopardize the future of the planned third movie in the series.

The January 2026 Release Hurt Its Potential

Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures

The movie industry often refers to January as a “dump month.” This is when studios usually release films they aren’t confident will be big hits. Several factors contribute to this trend: people tend to be tired of spending money after the holidays, the weather is often bad, and major sporting events compete for viewers’ attention, all of which can keep audiences away from theaters.

Releasing The Bone Temple in the middle of January wasn’t ideal, putting it at a disadvantage right away. Plus, it came out only about six months after the first movie, which didn’t give audiences much time to get excited about it beyond the initial theatrical release. While it did stream on Netflix and reach more viewers, there just wasn’t enough time to generate significant buzz for the sequel.

It Lacked The Nostalgia Appeal of 28 Years Later

The movie also fell short when it came to nostalgia, a key strength of 28 Years Later. The idea of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle – the team behind what many consider the best zombie movie ever – revisiting the world they created was incredibly exciting for fans of the series and the genre as a whole.

After an 18-year gap since the last film, it felt for a while like there wouldn’t be another installment after 28 Weeks Later. However, 28 Years Later finally arrived with a lot of anticipation, building excitement for over two years after its initial announcement and reaching a peak during the six months leading up to its release.

As a big fan of the original 28 Days Later, I admit I was a little worried when I heard Nia DaCosta was directing the new film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, instead of Danny Boyle. The previous sequel, 28 Weeks Later, didn’t really hit the mark, and I wasn’t the only one hoping this one wouldn’t follow suit. Thankfully, DaCosta’s vision was amazing! However, I think her recent work on The Marvels – which wasn’t exactly a hit with audiences – probably made some people hesitant to check this one out, which is a shame.

Fan Backlash From 28 Years Later May Have Lost Some Of The Audience

One major reason why The Bone Temple didn’t perform as well at the box office as 28 Years Later seems to be that audiences had a mixed reaction to the bold choices made in the original film. Many viewers specifically found the ending problematic due to its sudden and dramatic change in tone – particularly the scene where Jimmy Crystal and Fingers rescue Spike from the infected.

As a big fan, I totally get why people were surprised by the change in tone between 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple. Seeing Jodie Comer’s character wrap things up so emotionally, then suddenly being thrown into the world with the Jimmies was…a lot. It was a tough transition, and I can see why some fans were disappointed, especially if they were expecting the story to continue in a similar vein. But looking back, those of us who finished the trilogy understand how that shift actually made sense in the bigger picture.

Many viewers were disappointed that “28 Years Later” didn’t feature as many fast-moving zombies as they’d hoped. While the filmmakers, Alex Garland and Danny Boyle, intentionally moved the series in a new direction, leaving some familiar elements behind, a lot of fans still felt the movie didn’t deliver enough high-energy zombie action, even though it included several very violent scenes.

As a huge fan, I was really excited for “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” and it definitely took some interesting risks with the series! It especially spent a lot of time developing Dr. Ian Kelson and Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, which I thought was fantastic. It’s a shame it didn’t do well in theaters, but honestly, with everything going on, it’s not that surprising. I really wish more people had gotten a chance to see it!

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2026-01-21 07:39