Nia DaCosta’s zombie sequel breaks James Cameron’s four-week box office reign as MLK holiday frame reshapes the domestic leaderboard
Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple delivered a jolt to the domestic box office, ending the four-week reign of Avatar: Fire and Ash and claiming the No. 1 spot on Friday with a $5.6 million opening day haul.
The Sony-backed horror sequel—opening in 3,506 North American theaters—marks the fourth entry in the long-running “28” franchise and the follow-up to last summer’s “28 Years Later.” Industry estimates project $15 million across the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday frame, a solid result for an R-rated genre title amid premium-format competition.
Written by franchise architect Alex Garland, The Bone Temple follows survivors portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams as they navigate a ravaged British countryside while the Rage Virus resurges. With a $63 million production budget—slightly higher than its predecessor—the film has been buoyed by strong word of mouth, landing a rare “A-” CinemaScore for the horror genre alongside rave critical notices.
