Avatar continues to dominate the box office, while Sony’s sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, took second place with a weak estimated $15M over the holiday weekend. This is a brutal 50% difference from last year’s predecessor, which opened to $30M and ended with $151M globally. (If it’s any consolation, The Bone Temple did add $16.2 overseas for a $31.2M global opening.)
This is a hard pill to swallow, with a reported $63M budget, and puts the third and final film at real risk of being cremated. It’s a real shame considering the fans and critics aligned on this one, even landing a coveted A- CinemaScore with general audiences.
Early tracking had the Nia Costa-directed, Alex Garland-written, and Danny Boyle-produced British horror movie tracking north of $20M, so this is a huge disappointment for the studio… and fans hoping to see a conclusion to the trilogy.
“In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in a shocking new relationship – with consequences that could change the world as they know it – and Spike’s (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) becomes a nightmare he can’t escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival – the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.”
