28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Director: "I Was Disappointed"
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Director: "I Was Disappointed"
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director Nia DaCosta says she was "disappointed" that the film underperformed at the box office.
Published Sun, 10 May 2026 20:32:08 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director Nia DaCosta says she was disappointed the sequel underperformed at the box office.
- DaCosta argued every key audience metric was strong, suggesting 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple connected despite weak grosses.
- She believes the release timing may have hurt 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, with some viewers mistaking it for the prior film.
- Even with the setback, DaCosta remains proud of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and hopes audiences will discover it over time.
When Sony announced their intentions to release the sequel to 28 Years Later a couple of months after the first one, it seemed like the thing people had been asking for. People rightfully complain about the time between sequels constantly, and now you don't even have to wait a year. However, something got lost in translation. Maybe it was the title; people didn't realize that 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple were two different movies. Maybe Sony didn't do a good enough job marketing the second movie. Maybe the January release date, a month that is usually kind of to horror, worked against them. Either way, the movie failed to make an impact at the box office despite strong critical reviews. Director Nia DaCosta recently spoke to Empire about the film underperforming and explained that everything seemed to look like it should have worked.
"It's so funny, because literally every barometer we use in the industry to determine whether or not a movie is good, and people like it and want to see it, was through the roof, and yet our box office wasn't there," DaCosta said. "I made a great film, and I'm really proud of it, and people liked it. … Maybe [it was released] too soon, because people were like, 'Oh yeah, I saw that last summer!' I'm like, 'No, no, so there's a sequel!'"
DaCosta went on to cite something a friend of hers said about enjoying her career in the face of moments like this. She said, "My friend said to me years ago, 'Nia, your career is for you to enjoy,' and I really have been trying to put that into practice and take that to heart over the course of the past few years." DaCosta did admit that she did feel great about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple underperforming, she does believe that people will find the movie eventually, and when they do, they will love it
"And so when this came out, and it didn't do as well in terms of the money it made, I was disappointed. But I also was like, 'I'm so happy that when people find the film, they're going to enjoy the film.' I wish it made more money, but I'm really proud of it," she said. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple underperforming seems to be part of how it was released, not the film itself. Sony initially seemed gungho on finishing the trilogy, and they haven't outright canceled anything yet. We can hope they see this as a release date misstep rather than a quality or even an interest issue that should be solved by canceling the final film.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Summary, Cast List, Release Date
Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later – but turning that world on its head – Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. 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.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, stars Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry. It will be released in theaters on January 16, 2026.
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