Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s long-awaited sequel28 Years Laterpassed an important box office milestone in a relatively short timeframe, establishing it as easily the most successful movie in the franchise that began with28 Days Later. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Alfie Williams,28 Years Laterdebuted with strong Rotten Tomatoes scoresand a box office opening to match.
The action picks up nearly three decades after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus, which has been eradicated from mainland Europe since the breakout observed at the end of28 Weeks Later. Great Britain is still ravaged by the virus, which has evolved and mutated over the years to yield multiple iterations of the Infected.
Since its wide release on June 20th, 2025,28 Years Laterhas continued to slowly pile up box office revenue. According toThe Numbers,28 Years Laterpassed the $150 million box office milestone at the global box office, with $80 million coming from the international market and a very strong $70 million coming from domestic.
That total puts the horror sequel in good company, as it’s just the third movie to cross the $70 million mark at the domestic box office. In addition to being the highest-grossing movie in the28 Days Laterfranchise, it represents the third-highest-grossing movie of Danny Boyle’s career, behind onlySlumdog MillionaireandYesterday.
What The Latest Box Office Milestone Means For The 28 Days Later Franchise
The Strong Returns Should Mean The Trilogy Gets Completed
The28 Days Laterfranchise was revitalized by Boyle and writer Alex Garland’s reunion on28 Years Later, so much so that28 Years Laterandits sequel,28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, were shot back-to-back. Although Boyle will be turning over the director’s chair to Nia DaCosta for the sequel, Alex Garland’s steady hand on both movies should ensure similar quality.
The box office total for28 Years Latercould be enough to help get the third film in the planned trilogy greenlit, but it may not necessarily be high enough to accomplish that on its own. Assuming28 Years Laterfinds a strong audience on VOD and streaming, the box office total for28 Years Later: The Bone Templecould push even higher than its predecessor.
Between the two movies, the box office return should be enough to ensure that Boyle and Garland’s imagined trilogy will be completed.The franchise’s fourth movie will also receive a boost from the knowledge thatCillian Murphy’s Jim will return, albeit in limited fashion.
Our Take On 28 Years Later’s Latest Milestone
Audiences Will Turn Up For High-Quality Horror
28 Days Lateris a foundational movie in the annals of horror.It popularized the concept of “fast zombies”, and over the years has achieved true classic status, which is partially why28 Years Laterwas able to draw so well at the box office.
April 18th
$278.5 million
May 16th
$138.1 million
June 20th
$70 million
February 7th
$30.4 million
June 27th
$24 million
July 18th
$23.5 million
March 28th
$22.4 million
January 17th
$20.7 million
April 25th
$20.1 million
May 30th
$19.3 million
*still in theaters
Even without the existing franchise connection,28 Years Laterpassing the $150 million mark continues to prove thataudiences will show up for high-quality horror movies. Strong narratives, quality performances, and powerful metaphors will always drive strong box office results thanks to positive word of mouth, even in R-rated horror movies.
