Long had many waited forDanny BoyleandAlex Garland’s28 Years Later, with 23 years having passed since theCillian Murphy-led first. Perhaps not hitting the heights of the genre-changing original, this 2025 installment still impressed many, earning an 88%Rotten Tomatoesscore from critics, albeit with audience reception proving more varied. Starring the likes ofRalph Fiennes,Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Jodie Comer,Jack O’Connell, and more, the movie has also earned itself fair financial success to date, across four weekends at the box office thus far.
In total,28 Years Laterhas accumulated$139.2 million in global revenueas of the time of writing, 2.3 times its reported budget. Split between a $66.6 million domestic haul and a further $72.6 million from overseas markets, this total is enough to help28 Years Laterto impressive box office heights, including teetering on the edge of the75 highest-grossing horror movies of all time worldwide. This huge feat is likely to be achieved within the next 24 hours, as less than $100,000 separates the currently-placed 76th28 Years Later, andScream(2022) at position #75.
Thanks to consistent ticket sales,28 Years Laterhas now overtaken one of last year’s biggest and most surprising horror hits inSmile 2. Directed byParker Finnand featuring an unforgettable lead turn fromNaomi Scott’s Skye Riley,Smile 2turned a fairly small $28 million production budget into a huge $138 million globally, almost five times the investment. The 42nd highest-grossing movie of 2024,Smile 2was also a huge critical hit, with many even calling for Scott to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role, although few believed it would actually happen.
‘28 Years Later’ is the First of a Trilogy
If you, like many, enjoyed the emotionally-poignant and often bonkers28 Years Later, then excitingly, it is not the only taste of the new era in the horror franchise you’ll be getting. Officially,28 Years Lateris set to be one of a trilogy of films, with the second set up in the final, controversial moments of the recent installment.The second chapter,28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, has already been filmed and directed byNia DaCosta, with the first two entries made back-to-back. Although not much is known about it, we are likely to get hints and perhaps even a first look in the coming months, so make sure to keep your eyes on Collider for any updates.
28 Years Lateris in theaters now.
28 Years Later
