Sunday, January 18, 2026

23 Years Later, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is a Chilling Box Office Dud Cash Grab Sequel to Last Spring’s Revival

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So I guess even Ralph Fiennes has to make a living. Good movies like “Conclave” aren’t going to pay the bills.

Which brings us to “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” which flopped this weekend with just $13 million.

Frankly, Sony was lucky it made that much.

The fourth installment since 2003 of a horror movie series originally directed by Danny Boyle (Oscar winner for “Slumdog Millionaire”), “Bone Temple” was seen by the public as a cash grab, and they ignored it.

Indeed, it’s only been seven months since the first part of “28 Years Later,” the preceding chapter which was actually directed by Boyle. This one, also starring Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, was guided by Nia DaCosta, who should be making better movies than her resume reflects.

Fans have a ‘bone’ to pick with Boyle and writer Alex Garland. Sony should probably have just put this on VOD and called it a day.

As for this weekend’s box office, ugly weather meant there wasn’t going to be a lot of action outside of places where theaters could be reached by foot. The total for 33 films was $73.7 million.

Look at this trailer. Fiennes is hilarious. You can only imagine what howling went on between takes.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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