Unlike the previous films in the post-apocalyptic horror 28 franchise, the latest installment, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, failed to make an impact at the box office. However, despite its underwhelming performance, director Nia DaCosta has defended the film and its narrative. Along with expressing shock at the disappointing earnings, she also revealed that pre-release expectations had been far more optimistic. 

With a third film now seemingly hanging by a thread, DaCosta doubled down on the latest movie’s potential.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple grossed $58.5 million worldwide against a $63 million budget. This was a surprising number compared to the $151 million earned by the 2025 movie, 28 Years Later. Director Nia DaCosta, who helmed the latest film, explained that she remains confident in the project and revealed that it had shown strong promise before its release.

“It’s so funny, because literally every barometer we use in the industry to determine whether or not a movie is good, and people like it and want to see it, was through the roof, and yet our box office wasn’t there,” DaCosta told Empire.

“I made a great film, and I’m really proud of it, and people liked it,” she added.

The director also touched upon the factors that may have contributed to its disappointing box office run. She suggested that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple may have arrived too soon, just over a year after the success of 28 Years Later, which may have confused the audience after having only recently watched the 2025 film. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the second installment in the planned trilogy followed by 28 Years Later, after the original 28 Days Later, which starred Cillian Murphy. 

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However, after the underwhelming performance of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, whether a third film will move forward remains the big question.

After 28 Days Later, 28 Years Later serves as the first installment in the planned trilogy. And before the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Sony had already confirmed that it intended to move forward with a third film. Cillian Murphy, who made a cameo in the latest movie, has also expressed interest in returning for the next installment. 

Alex Garland, who wrote all the films in the franchise, is expected to return as the writer, while Danny Boyle, who directed the 2025 movie, is also anticipated to come back. Despite all the buzz, there has been a silence on the third movie in the trilogy. The original 2002 film, 28 Days Later, revived the post-apocalyptic genre with its terrifying depiction of rage-infected horrors. Now, the question is, will the trilogy continue, or could it end with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?

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What do you think about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's box office results? Let us know in the comments.