28 Years Later sequel The Bone Temple falls short, beaten by Avatar: Fire and Ash

Movieweb reports that Avatar: Fire and Ash reclaimed the top spot at the weekend box office after previews of 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple gave the new zombie sequel an early lead, leaving The Bone Temple in second place.

The Bone Temple earned about $13 million over the three-day weekend, or $15 million including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, well below the projected $20 million-plus domestic weekend and roughly half the $30 million opening of 28 Years Later last June. The worldwide gross is expected to finish around $31.1 million against a $63 million budget. The film, directed by Nia Da Costa, features Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell and Alfie Williams reprising roles, with Cillian Murphy's part expected to be expanded if a concluding movie is green-lit, and has drawn very positive reviews and a reported 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It is now unclear what the box-office outcome means for the planned trilogy that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland envisioned. Avatar took about $300,000 more over the three-day weekend and was expected to reach $17.2 million by Monday, while Zootopia 2, The Housemaid and Marty Supreme completed the domestic top five; positive reviews could build The Bone Temple's run over time, but early-year financial struggles may also lead audiences to wait for home media.

Key Topics

Culture, Avatar, Nia Da Costa, Cillian Murphy, Ralph Fiennes, Box Office