Box Office: ‘Bone Temple’ Numbers Are Brutal — $13M Weekend Expected, 53% Drop From ‘28 Years Later’

Sony must be wondering what went wrong when it comes to Nia DaCosta’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.” Reviews are strong (80 on Metacritic), and audience ratings have been tremendous (A- CinemaScore, 4.5 PostTrak).

Yet, the film just had a disastrous Friday at the box office with a tepid $3.7M tally (via Deadline). It’s now eyeing a $13M three-day / $15M four-day weekend. Just to put things into perspective, Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” launched with a $30M debut last summer.

DaCosta’s film cost $63M to produce, and to make matters more complicated, Sony was quick on the trigger and greenlit a third installment, this one starring Cillian Murphy — although no production start date has been set just yet.

So, what went wrong? To my eyes, at least, it’s fairly clear: Boyle’s film turned off far too many people. There was immense buzz for it until general moviegoers actually saw the film — which leaned more existential than horror and featured a wildly eccentric ending that left a bitter taste in audiences’ mouths as they exited theaters.

It’s a real shame, because DaCosta’s film is much better than Boyle’s, and as the audience ratings can attest, it’s been far better received. Boyle’s film earned a “B” on CinemaScore, compared to the impressive “A-“ “The Bone Temple” received last night.

Now, will Sony continue the franchise? They seemingly greenlit a third entry with Cillian Murphy in an effort to build excitement for “The Bone Temple,” and that has clearly failed to materialize. Given Murphy’s participation, I’d expect the third film to be the priciest of the trilogy — probably in the $70–$80M range.

It’s come to the point where there’s a real possibility that “Avatar: Fire and Ash” will outgross “The Bone Temple” this weekend with a $14–16M tally — marking a fifth consecutive weekend atop the box office.