“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” kicked off the long weekend by starting Thursday previews at 2 p.m., earlier than usual, which likely resulted in slightly higher receipts.
Nia DaCosta’s horror sequel earned $2.1M yesterday and is tracking toward a $20M+ haul over the extended MLK holiday frame. For context, last year’s “28 Years Later,” directed by Danny Boyle, pulled in $5.8M in previews during a standard three-day opening in June. That film launched with a $30M debut and went on to earn a respectable $70M domestically and $150M worldwide.
Boyle’s and DaCosta’s films each cost around $63–65M. By the looks of it, and despite very strong reviews, “The Bone Temple” may not make more than half of what its predecessor did, which begs the question of why Sony was so quick on the trigger to greenlight the third and final chapter—was it simply a desperate attempt to bolster “The Bone Temple”?
It makes sense. What fans of this franchise really want is for original star Cillian Murphy to return as the lead. Sony propping up his return for the third instalment might sell a few extra tickets for “The Bone Temple,” but will it be enough to justify the trilogy capper?