Last December, about a month before the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the final chapter of the planned trilogy 28 Years Later: Part 3 was officially announced by Sony Pictures, but the box office flop of the second chapter may have complicated things.
Despite the excellent reviews received by Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later and its sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple by Nia DaCosta, audiences did not respond: the second episode grossed only $25 million in the United States, with a total of $57 million worldwide, against a declared budget of $63 million. Evidently, the average viewer—and therefore not us fanatics who devour cinema every day—was disappointed by the first installment, 28 Days Later, which grossed $70 million in the United States and $150 million worldwide last summer.
The results of the first episode were already nothing exceptional (the budget was still $60 million), but the decline in performance in the transition to the second installment is as evident as it is alarming.
All this raises the question: what will happen to 28 Years Later: Part 3? As mentioned, Sony had already given the green light to the third and final chapter of the saga before the release of The Bone Temple, pushing the return of Oscar winner Cillian Murphy in its marketing campaign, but new rumors suggest that Sony is now in no hurry to make the final chapter of the trilogy. In fact, World of Reel reports that Netflix has shown interest in acquiring 28 Years Later: Part 3. As we know, Netflix and Sony have a streaming partnership, but it seems that director and producer Danny Boyle does not want to go down this route and is adamant about a theatrical release.
As mentioned, the return of Cillian Murphy for 28 Years Later: Part 3 could attract a larger audience… but even his presence in the finale of The Temple of Bones, widely publicized during the film’s press tour, did not help to boost box office takings. It should be noted that the film has just been released on VOD in the United States, about 30 days after its theatrical release…
In short, despite critical acclaim, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s trilogy seems to have lost its audience: we will keep you updated on all the latest news…
Source: World of Reel
About the Author
