$150M Zombie Movie Becomes Netflix Global Hit Ahead Of Sequel Release

28 Years Later has become a streaming success months after its theatrical premiere. The movie, which is the third installment in the post-apocalyptic horror franchise following the Rage virus sweeping through the British Isles, featured the reunion of director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland, who previously collaborated on the original installment, 2002’s 28 Days Later.

The movie, which stars Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Alfie Williams, will be followed by the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The fourth installment was directed by Nia DaCosta from another new screenplay by Alex Garland and is set to debut in theaters on January 16, 2026.

Netflix has now calculated their global chart of the Top 10 most-watched English-language movies on the platform for the week of September 22 through September 28. After joining the platform on September 20, 28 Years Later sH๏τ to No. 8 on the chart with 3.2 million viewers accumulating a total of 6.2 million viewing hours.

It has charted below some ongoing Netflix original hits, including KPop Demon Hunters (No. 1) and The Wrong Paris (No. 3), but it did debut above the streamer’s new documentary aka Charlie Sheen (No. 10).

28 Years Later, which originally debuted in theaters on June 20, is also in the Top 10 in four individual countries, namely the United States, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

What This Means For 28 Years Later

Especially if 2025’s 28 Years Later continues to chart on Netflix (potentially boosted by the fact that October is a time when horror тιтles tend to spike, thanks to the fact that Halloween comes at the end of the month), its streaming run could help it cement itself as a major horror hit.

Theatrically, the movie performed well. It grossed $151.2 million worldwide, making it the 21st highest-grossing release of 2025 at the time of writing and the fifth highest-grossing 2025 horror movie behind Weapons, Final Destination Bloodlines, Sinners, and The Conjuring: Last Rites.

However, the reported budget of 28 Years Later is $60 million, which may have hampered its performance somewhat. Because movies often need to earn back two and a half times their budgets, its estimated break-even point could be as high as $150 million, so streaming revenue will likely help push it more conclusively into the black.

Our Take On 28 Years Later’s Streaming Success


Aaron Taylor-Johnson running away from infected in 28 Years Later.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson running away from Infected in 28 Years Later

The strong streaming performance of 28 Years Later could lead to a domino effect that helps boost the theatrical profits of The Bone Temple in early 2026. Should this be the case, it could be a good sign for the possible third movie in the Years trilogy, which has not yet been officially greenlit.

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