While not completely consistent, 2025 has been a pretty good year for horror films. This has included both original and franchise horror entries. Audiences were rocked by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which was a huge box office success upon its release in April, and is now expected to sweep this year’s Oscars.

The positive trend continued this summer with Weapons. Also an original horror, the movie was subject to widespread praise for its unique structure and interesting characters. It also ultimately made over $260 million worldwide in theaters.

As much as these original horror movies have shone, 2025 has also seen some good continuations of major horror franchises. Not long after Sinners came the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, which was touted as one of the best Final Destination movies and did well at the box office.

More recently was The Conjuring: Last Rites, the final entry in the beloved James Wan-created series. In under one month, it has matched the most successful horror films of the year, grossing over $400 million worldwide. But elsewhere, another 2025 horror franchise film is succeeding on the streaming charts.

28 Years Later Is A Streaming Hit

28 Years Later is now trending on streaming. The post-apocalyptic zombie horror film is the third entry in the 28 Days Later franchise, which began in 2002. This installment follows a group of rage virus survivors living on a small island whose peace is disrupted when one of them leaves on a mission to the mainland.

The film sees the return of Danny Boyle in the director’s chair, and also features an impressive leading cast including Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Alfie Williams. The movie earned an 88% Tomatometer from Rotten Tomatoes critics, including a 7 out of 10-star review from ScreenRant‘s Mary Kᴀssel.

Now, 28 Years Later is also a streaming success on Netflix. As of September 24, 28 Years Later was No. 2 among the platform’s Top 10 movies in the United States today. It was beaten out only by the viral sensation KPop Demon Hunters, and joins a list that includes San Andreas, The Wrong Paris, and Ice Road: Vengeance.

What This Means For 28 Years Later

28 Years Later just arrived on Netflix on September 20. As such, this means that the post-apocalyptic horror film became a streaming hit nearly instantly, surging onto the Top 10 list just days after it hit the platform. This highlights just how much of a success this movie has been.

This is also good news for the health of the franchise as a whole. The next installment, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is coming down the pike fast, set for a January 16, 2026, release date. If 28 Years Later can maintain this streaming staying power, it could compel more audiences to see The Bone Temple when it hits theaters later this year.