It’s been a while since a 28 Days Later sequel hit the big screen, but audiences are excited to see the franchise return to theaters. The latest installment, 28 Years Later, is shaping up to break box office records during its opening weekend. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Years Later is estimated to earn somewhere between $28-30 million domestically over its first three days. There’s also tracking data out there suggesting the movie could earn as much as $40-45 million in the United States. Either figure would mark a new opening weekend record for the series. 28 Years Later is expected to gross much more in its debut than either of its two predecessors.
2002’s 28 Days Later opened with $10 million and earned $45 million total domestically. The first sequel, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, earned $9.8 million domestically in its debut. 28 Years Later should also be a new career-high opening weekend for director Danny Boyle. His previous best was Yesterday with $17 million.
28 Years Later is intended to be the first installment of a new trilogy in the franchise. The second entry, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has already been filmed and will release in January 2026. Boyle has confirmed that Cillian Murphy will return to the series in The Bone Temple, though he didn’t share many details beyond that. The third film in the 28 Years Later trilogy won’t be greenlit until Sony sees how the first two installments perform.
This year has already been strong for horror films. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is one of the biggest hits of 2025, grossing $361.5 million worldwide against a $90 million production budget. There was also Final Destination Bloodlines, which posted its own record-breaking opening back in May with $51.6 million domestically.
Though Final Destination Bloodlines came out fairly recently, it isn’t all that surprising to see 28 Years Later tracking as high as it is. For one, the franchise is one of the most iconic in the horror genre and has earned a passionate following over the past two decades, so there’s much interest in seeing further stories set in this universe. Additionally, the past few weeks at the box office have been dominated by family-friendly offerings (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) and action sequels (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning). Whereas Pixar’s Elio is set for a soft debut due to stiff competition, enough time has passed that there’s high enough demand for another horror movie at the multiplex.
If 28 Years Later reaches the high end of the estimates, it will bode well for the trilogy’s future. Sony was smart to wait to sign off on the third installment, but it will probably be only a matter of time before the trilogy finale gets the green light. It’ll be interesting to see if 28 Years Later can beat out How to Train Your Dragon for the No. 1 spot on the charts this weekend. The live-action remake is projected to earn $40 million domestically in its second weekend, so depending on how well 28 Years Later performs, the R-rated horror film could top the family-friendly blockbuster.
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