"28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" takes down "Avatar: Fire and Ash" at the box office, claiming the top spot on its opening day. The horror-thriller earned a significant $5.6 million from 3,506 theaters in North America, setting it up for an estimated $15 million through the MLK holiday frame.
This performance marks a major upset, as "Avatar: Fire and Ash," which had held the top spot for four weeks, was pushed down to second place with a modest $3.2 million from 2,500 theaters. Despite this setback, "Fire and Ash" remains projected to take in an estimated $17 million through the MLK frame.
Franchise mastermind Alex Garland's screenplay for "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," which follows Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, and Alfie Williams as they navigate the British countryside amidst a deadly outbreak of the Rage Virus, has garnered widespread critical acclaim. With an "A-" from CinemaScore, this rare feat in the horror genre suggests that the film is poised to perform well at the box office.
The success of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" is also attributed to its relatively lower production budget compared to other horror films. At $63 million, it was more expensive than its predecessor, which cost $60 million and went on to gross $70 million domestically.
Meanwhile, Chloé Zhao's Shakespearean drama "Hamnet" continues to expand its reach, adding another $370,000 to its initial $13 million. The film should pull in an estimated $1.6 million through the MLK holiday frame.
The top five films at the domestic box office are now: "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "Hamnet," Lionsgate's thriller "The Housemaid," and Paramount's monkey horror "Primate."
This performance marks a major upset, as "Avatar: Fire and Ash," which had held the top spot for four weeks, was pushed down to second place with a modest $3.2 million from 2,500 theaters. Despite this setback, "Fire and Ash" remains projected to take in an estimated $17 million through the MLK frame.
Franchise mastermind Alex Garland's screenplay for "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," which follows Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, and Alfie Williams as they navigate the British countryside amidst a deadly outbreak of the Rage Virus, has garnered widespread critical acclaim. With an "A-" from CinemaScore, this rare feat in the horror genre suggests that the film is poised to perform well at the box office.
The success of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" is also attributed to its relatively lower production budget compared to other horror films. At $63 million, it was more expensive than its predecessor, which cost $60 million and went on to gross $70 million domestically.
Meanwhile, Chloé Zhao's Shakespearean drama "Hamnet" continues to expand its reach, adding another $370,000 to its initial $13 million. The film should pull in an estimated $1.6 million through the MLK holiday frame.
The top five films at the domestic box office are now: "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "Hamnet," Lionsgate's thriller "The Housemaid," and Paramount's monkey horror "Primate."
️ especially during the holidays when we're all in a festive mood. The fact that it came out with a lower budget also helped, I guess. But what's interesting is how well it did considering the strong competition from "Avatar: Fire and Ash". My kid would love this film - he's really into those zombie apocalypse movies right now 
. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up over time though...
, especially considering it was made for like $63 million less than the last one. The fact that Alex Garland's script got an A- from CinemaScore is a huge deal too... it shows he brought something new to the table 
. I'm intrigued by this Rage Virus thing, gotta check out some clips and reviews ASAP 
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. im thinkin its gonna be a one hit wonder, fire and ash was on a roll for a reason 
. also, the fact that bone temple had a lower budget doesnt mean it's gonna win by that much. theres other movies out there with more buzz and more marketing $$$ 
anyway, i love ralph fiennes in any movie he's always so iconic, and jack o'connell too! they're gonna make a killing on this one 
without breaking the bank 
I mean who needs 100s of millions when you've got talent on your side? Alex Garland's script is no joke, it's like he took all the horror tropes and made them work 
And what's with Chloé Zhao's Shakespearean drama getting a boost from the MLK holiday frame? It just feels like a weird timing to me. Can't we get some more diverse releases for once?