28 Years Later has pᴀssed a major milestone that few 2025 horror movies have. The movie, which was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, is the third installment in the post-apocalyptic horror franchise that kicked off with 28 Days Later in 2002.
2025’s 28 Years Later takes place in a Britain that has been ravaged by the Rage virus for the better part of three decades and follows the adventures of Spike (Alfie Williams), a 12-year-old boy who grew up on the fortified island of Lindisfarne. The cast also includes Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Edvin Ryding, and Jack O’Connell.
Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, as of Saturday morning, 28 Years Later is projected to close out its fourth weekend at the domestic box office with a 3-day total of $2.7 million. This is set to push its cumulative domestic gross to a total of $65.7 million.
In addition to being the 15th 2025 release to pᴀss the $65 million domestic milestone, it is only the third 2025 horror movie to have done so, behind Final Destination Bloodlines ($137.8 million) and Sinners ($278.5 million), the latter of which is the third highest-grossing domestic movie of the year at the time of writing.
What This Means For 28 Years Later
It Still Needs To Climb A Bit More
28 Years Later has already broken a variety of records. After earning the best opening weekend of the franchise, it went on to become the highest-grossing installment both in domestic theaters (beating 28 Days Later‘s domestic record of $45.1 million) and worldwide.
However, it seems unlikely to pᴀss either Final Destination Bloodlines or Sinners by the end of its run. While that may be the case, its domestic total is more than double the next highest-grossing 2025 horror movie of the year, which is Heart Eyes ($30.4 million domestic).
Below, see a breakdown of the 10 highest-grossing domestic horror movies of 2025:
|
Rank |
тιтle |
Domestic Box Office |
|---|---|---|
|
#1 |
Sinners |
$278.5 million |
|
#2 |
Final Destination Bloodlines |
$137.8 million |
|
#3 |
28 Years Later |
$65.7 million |
|
#4 |
Heart Eyes |
$30.4 million |
|
#5 |
The Woman in the Yard |
$22.4 million |
|
#6 |
M3GAN 2.0 |
$22.3 million |
|
#7 |
Wolf Man |
$20.7 million |
|
#8 |
Until Dawn |
$20.2 million |
|
#9 |
Bring Her Back |
$19.3 million |
|
#10 |
Clown in a Cornfield |
$7.2 million |
In spite of the movie’s broken records, the reported budget of 28 Years Later is $60 million in and of itself. While its exact break-even point is unknown, movies often have to earn back two and a half times their budgets in order to turn a profit in theaters, which could place its estimated break-even point as high as $150 million.
The new movie could be set to hit that milestone, as it had grossed nearly $130 million worldwide as of Friday. However, it might not clear that total by a very wide margin in theaters, so its success will likely have to be cemented by its VOD performance and streaming revenue.
Our Take On The 28 Years Later Milestone
The Franchise’s Future Depends On The Fourth Movie
While the 2025 horror movie is performing decently well, the true test of the franchise’s box office strength will be the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which debuts on January 16, 2026. The two movies are meant to be the start of a Years trilogy, but the third installment has not yet been funded.
However, once 28 Years Later lands on VOD and streaming, it should have built up enough of a viewership base that it puts Bone Temple in a solid position to also turn a tidy profit, though if the next movie is hit by diminishing returns, it may only accomplish this by a narrow margin.
Enjoy ScreenRant’s box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check “Box Office” in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more:
Sign Up
Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
