After 28 Years Later became a box office hit last summer (bringing in $151.3 million worldwide against a $60 million production budget), expectations were high for the follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The film earned widespread critical acclaim, with much praise being given to its performances, compelling story, and Nia DaCosta’s direction. Despite that enthusiastic word of mouth, The Bone Temple bombed its way out of theaters, grossing just $58.5 million globally against its $63 million budget. However, the horror film is now in the process of finding an audience. Once again, streaming has emerged as a lifeline for a box office flop.
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On the website JustWatch, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now in the No. 2 position on the weekly Top 10 Movies chart. Last week, it was in third place, so it’s been moving up. As of this writing, it’s only trailing the star-studded crime drama Crime 101.
Will The Third 28 Years Later Movie Still Happen?
JustWatch is a popular tool that shows people where they can watch any movie or TV show they search for. Results list subscription-based streaming services as well as PVOD platforms. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘s success on the site illustrates that it’s in demand right now. Though the film underwhelmed in theaters, many people are interested in watching it and are curious to learn where they can stream it. The Bone Temple was added to Netflix’s library at the end of March.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple becoming popular on home media will only raise further questions about the status of the planned third film. When Danny Boyle set out to make the first 28 Years Later, he envisioned it as the start of a new trilogy. Sony was seemingly very confident in that vision; in December 2025, it was reported that the third 28 Years Later was moving forward. Of course, that was before The Bone Temple debuted. The studio was banking on Bone Temple being a bigger hit, and now the future of the franchise appears to be in a state of flux.
The third 28 Years Later installment has not received an official release date yet, implying that Sony was waiting to see how The Bone Temple performed before making a decision. While The Bone Temple ends on a cliffhanger fans want to see resolved, the film industry is still a business, and there’s a chance Sony could feel another 28 Years Later isn’t worth the investment. If ticket sales declined that much between the first two films, a third movie could see even further diminishing returns. Streaming success isn’t a sign the franchise would do well theatrically again; it’s easier to get people to take a chance on something when all they have to do is push play at home.
It remains to be seen if the third 28 Years Later movie will happen, but there’s a strong argument that it should. The first two films were well-received critically, delivering an impressive combination of genre thrills and thoughtful narratives. They represent an evolution of the fan-favorite series, putting a fresh spin on zombie movies and further fleshing out its universe. Boyle deserves a chance to wrap up this story, and it would be a shame if Sony scrapped 28 Years Later 3. It would be smarter for all parties involved to try to work out a compromise — either a smaller budget for the final film or perhaps make it a Netflix original, capitalizing on The Bone Temple‘s newfound streaming audience. Fans waited a long time to see this franchise return. It would be great if they could see Boyle end it on his terms.
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