One of the Most Ignored Sci-Fi Westerns Just Got Overtaken by the ‘28 Years Later’ Sequel

In its second weekend of release, 28 Years: Later: The Bone Temple effectively sealed its fate at the box office. The horror sequel experienced a major drop after an already unimpressive opening weekend performance. It still hasn’t hit the $50 million mark worldwide, despite having cost more than $60 million to produce. Directed by Nia DaCosta, The Bone Temple serves as a direct sequel to last year’s 28 Years Later, which was directed by Danny Boyle. Both movies continue the cult classic franchise that Boyle began alongside writer Alex Garland over two decades ago, with the film 28 Days Later. The new trilogy is set to conclude with a third installment, but The Bone Temple’s performance so far has cast a shadow over it. That said, the new movie surpassed the worldwide haul of another cult hit that underperformed in its box office run. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film Serenity served as a theatrical follow-up to the space opera series Firefly, which was abruptly canceled after just one season some years prior. Firefly became a cult hit and sold a huge number of units on home video, prompting 20th Century Fox to green-light a follow-up film. However, the movie didn’t do as well as expected at the box office, concluding its worldwide run with just $40 million, against a reported budget of $39 million. It earned positive reviews, however, and is now sitting at an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The review aggregator’s consensus reads, “Snappy dialogue and goofy characters make this Wild Wild West soap opera in space fun and adventurous.”
The Third ’28 Years Later’ Film Was Confirmed Prior to ‘The Bone Temple’s Release

The Bone Temple has made around $46 million so far at the global box office, despite franchise-best reviews. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, and Jack O’Connell, the movie holds a “certified fresh” 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the audience’s consensus reads, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is as hard to look at as it’s hard to look away from – a mad, visceral mood piece with a surprisingly substantial amount of humanity.” The third installment was teased in the film’s climax, with a cameo by 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy.

You can watch The Bone Temple in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.