8 Months Later, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's Box Office Tragedy Is Clearer Than Ever

Published Sep 12, 2026, 12:20 PM EDT

Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture.

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8 months after its debut, 2026's biggest box office tragedy is even clearer now, as a result of the 28 Years Later series' overall results and the wider scope of box office results achieved in this year. 2026 has been a prime example of just how much movies of a similar quality that are sometimes even in the same genre can have drastically different box office results, since the year has had plenty of major hits, but also plenty of scenarios wherein a film that arguably deserved better garnered an underwhelming box office result.

The range of 2026's box office results has been put on spectacular display by the results of more recent hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day - which garnered an impressive $2.4 billion overall - and The Odyssey, which also netted itself a healthy $1.6 billion global box office result. These movies earning as much as they have in 2026 puts the films that garnered less than expected in even more perspective, since it's clear it isn't a matter of the year simply bringing home lower box office results across the board.

Indeed, this range of results across the year means it's even easier to see what a shame it is that one of the most well-received films of the year garnered a lower overall box office result, especially since there's still hopefully another chapter of the movie series it comes from on the horizon.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's Box Office Fate Looks Like Even More Of A Shame As 2026 Comes To An End

Despite being one of the more eagerly anticipated horror movies of 2026 for many fans - and continuing on the story of the major zombie franchise following the success of 28 Years Later in 2025 - 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's theatrical results came in at lower than may have been expected, with its $58 million global box office takings being notably lower than 28 Years Later's own prior $151 million results.

Currently, this leaves 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple as 2026's 47th highest box office result (as per Box Office Mojo). While this isn't a worst case scenario, it is one that seems particularly tragic given the solid reviews and critical response the movie got overall, as evidenced by its 92% critic Tomatometer score and 88% audience Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Indeed, one of the biggest factors that appears to have impacted the movie was the confusion around how it related to the wider series, with some believing that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was either simply a new name given to 28 Years Later, a re-release of 28 Years Later, or an extended cut of the film, which cut into its prospective audience, alongside the belief The Bone Temple was an optional spinoff and not the second chapter of sorts of the 28 Years Later trilogy.

How A Third 28 Years Later Movie Can Avoid The Bone Temple's Box Office Results

Ultimately, the box office results of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple show that, if and when the planned next chapter of the franchise goes forward, ensuring there is as much clarity in terms of titling seems to be imperative for the installment, to avoid any potential replication of the issues The Bone Temple appears to have faced in this regard.

Similarly, it would make sense for teaser and trailer material to lean into the ways in which a new 28 Years Later movie follows on from the 2025 movie and The Bone Temple, since this can both encourage audiences to see how this trilogy ends, and also help those who perhaps still haven't seen 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple during either its time in theaters or on streaming to get a sense of what happened in it, which should help balance out any potential issues this lower box office could garner from a long-term perspective.

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  Alfie Williams

  Spike

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  Jack O'Connell

  Jimmy Crystal

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the latest entry in the acclaimed zombie series. The film continues the narrative from 2025's 28 Years Later, with survivors of a catastrophic outbreak uncovering a mysterious refuge known as the Bone Temple.