Summary
Director Danny Boyle’s soon-to-be-released film28 Years Later’s pre-ticket sales have set an incredible record for the highly anticipated sequel, even overtaking popular movies like Nosferatuand Sinners.Written by Oscar-nominee Alex Garland with Boyle steering the ship, the upcoming third installment in the zombie film trilogy initially began with28 Days Laterin 2002 and was then continued by its sequel,28 Weeks Later, five years after. Hosting talented and returning cast members,28 Years Laterwill star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry, and Edvin Ryding. For those hoping to see Cillian Murphy,Boyle previously stated that Murphy’s character Jim will be in parts two and three of the new trilogy.
28 Years Laterfocuses on a young boy who needs to find a doctor to help his dying mother, but to do so, he needs to journey through the hills and forests of the northern English countryside. However, due to the Rage Virus returning yet again, infected lie in wait within these locations, causing chaos and terror. So far, not a great deal is known about the ins and outs of28 Years Later’s plot, other than a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by the infected, but fans do know that it’s “almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist among the infected”, according to the film’s synopsis.
28 Years Later Becomes the Best Horror Ticket Pre-Seller of 2025
According toDeadline,28 Years Laterhas sold more pre-sale tickets during its 24 hours of advanced ticket sales than other big horror films likeSinners,Final Destination Bloodlines,andNosferatu,making the zombie film the best horror ticket pre-seller in 2025.And now, due to the pre-sale tickets being gobbled up so fast, the long-awaited sequel could see its domestic opening weekend ranging around $30 million.
However, the post-apocalyptic horror could very well range closer to $50 million since it’s one of the most anticipated movies of 2025, as well as its first trailer gaining 60.2 million global views in its first 24 hours, becoming the biggest horror trailer launch of 2024.Ryan Coogler’sSinnersdebuted to $48 millionwhileFinal Destination: Bloodlineshad a franchise-best opening of $51.6 million, so all eyes are on28 Years Later’s release.
Even though28 Years Latermight have previously felt like a sequel to the franchise had passed its expiration, it seems to be back in full glory as it looks to terrify its fans once again. As fans may have heard inthe film’s first trailer, its unsettling vibe was heightened by thehaunting narration of Taylor Holmes' recording of Rudyard Kipling’s war poem,Boots, which is certainly an eerie indicator of what Boyle has planned for his audience. With a budget of $75 million,28 Years Lateris the biggest film to be created on an iPhone, and if its trailer is anything to go by, it looks as though the 17-year wait could be very much worth it after all.
28 Years Laterwill premiere in theaterson Jun 25, 2025. Its sequel,The Bone Temple,meanwhile, arrives less than a year later on July 16, 2025.
