There was already a long wait for the release of 28 Years Later. The zombie franchise launched in 2002 with 28 Days Later, which was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. Made for a mere $8 million, the movie was somewhat of a surprise success after grossing $74 million worldwide.

This success led to the eventual creation of 28 Weeks Later, which also did decently in theaters. Even though it took five years to make, that was nothing in comparison to the 18-year hiatus the series then took between that and 28 Years Later. The movie was finally released in theaters on June 20.

Despite its long break, the franchise does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Before the release of the 2025 film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was announced, which could be the second film in a new trilogy.

The film will be directed by Nia DaCosta, who is known for the recent remake of Candyman. The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Aflie Williams, Emma Laird, Jack O’Connell, Robert Rhodes, Sam Locke, and Natalie Cousteau. The film is an exciting next chapter that is set to come out early next year.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s Release Date Is 30 Weeks After 28 Years Later

It Comes Out In January

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is set for release on January 16, 2026, marking a 30-week gap from the 2025 release. This means that The Bone Temple is coming quickly, giving audiences the next installment quite soon.

Having The Bone Temple scheduled for the early days of 2026 is, in many ways, a fantastic decision for the franchise. After all, the series required audiences to remain interested for over two decades. The Bone Temple will take a different approach and ride the wave while the zombie movie series already has momentum.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Coming Out 2 Weeks Earlier Would Have Been Perfect

That Would Have Made It A 28-Week Gap

Despite the relative immediacy, The Bone Temple is missing a key opportunity. If it had set its release date just two weeks earlier, the movie would be coming out exactly 28 weeks after the release of 28 Years Later.

28 Weeks Later is the name of the franchise’s second film. The number 28 is also in all the film тιтles and is used as a hook to ground the chronology after the initial virus outbreak. As such, The Bone Temple could have fit the theme on an even broader level by coming out 28 weeks after the previous film.

In addition to being a cool tidbit, this could have been a great marketing tool. Trailers for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple could have emphasized the film coming 28 weeks after its predecessor, which could have been a strong hook.

Because the other films in the franchise were released so far apart, this would have been the only opportunity to do something like this. Unfortunately, they have missed this chance.

It’s Not Too Late To Change 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s Release

The Studio Could Change Their Mind

It is not too late for Sony to move the release date for The Bone Temple. As evidenced by Warner Bros.’ shuffling of the Mickey 17 and Sinners release dates, studios move their release calendars all the time. This applies to major releases such as The Bone Temple.

Additionally, moving the film up two weeks would likely be doable on a production level. The Bone Temple was filmed back-to-back with 28 Years Later. With the footage already in place, shifting the release date would only slightly truncate the post-production and distribution period.

Moving the release date up two weeks would mean a January 2, 2026, release date. This slot already has a notable release with the M3GAN spinoff Soulm8te. This poses a challenge since both films cater to a similar audience. The film is under Universal and is unlikely to shift its release, posing compeтιтion for The Bone Temple.

On the other hand, some distributors have seemed encouraged by successful box office face-offs, like Barbie and Oppenheimer, and this year’s Lilo & Sтιтch vs. Mission: Impossible. As such, releasing synchronously with Soulm8te might not be the worst thing for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, especially given it would give it the thematically perfect date.