Bone Temple Flops Despite Critics Calling It Franchise's Best
The latest zombie apocalypse sequel earned stellar reviews but couldn't match its predecessor's opening weekend numbers, raising questions about franchise fatigue.
The newest installment in the zombie apocalypse series stumbled at theaters despite earning praise as the franchise's strongest entry. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple pulled in just $13 mn during its opening three-day weekend from January 16-18, according to Box Office Mojo data.
The film added another $2 mn on its fourth day, bringing the total to a disappointing $15 mn. Compare that to 28 Years Later, which grabbed $30 mn in its first weekend last year and hit $32 mn after four days.
Strong Reviews Can't Save Weak Numbers
The sequel didn't exactly bomb, but it clearly underperformed against franchise expectations. The back-to-back releases might explain the drop. 28 Years Later hit screens in June 2025, followed by The Bone Temple just seven months later.
Some point to the director switch from Danny Boyle to Nia DaCosta as another factor affecting audience turnout. Despite the box office stumble, critics loved this one. The film scored a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a 7.8/10 on IMDb.
What Comes Next for the Series
The cliffhanger ending sets up another sequel perfectly. Dr. Kelson's final moment with the alpha-infected Samson points toward the eventual reclamation of Britain. Meanwhile, Spike survives the cult known as the "Jimmys" and heads toward other survivors.
The third film will likely focus on deploying a cure for the infection. Expect the story to wrap up the Jimmy cult storyline and give Cillian Murphy's Jim character a bigger role after his brief appearance in The Bone Temple.
The studio needs to space out future releases better to avoid audience fatigue. Maybe then the next one can match the box office success that the quality apparently deserves.