From The Accountant 2 to Den of Thieves: Pantera, 2025 has released a lot of highly anticipated sequels already. Having long gaps between the predecessors and the next installment can be both good and bad for a film. On the one hand, audiences can lose interest if it has taken too long between movies, as their awareness of a particular franchise may be down. On the other hand, there have been some incredibly successful long-delayed sequels in the last half decade, including Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick.
This year will have another anticipated sequel with 28 Years Later. The franchise saw its origins 23 years ago with the Danny Boyle-directed and Alex Garland-penned 28 Days Later. Five years pᴀssed before the release of its sequel, 28 Weeks Later. After another 18 years, Boyle returns for another entry in the zombie film franchise. 28 Years Later‘s trailer shows that the film has a lot going for it, including a star-studded cast of Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Jack O’Connell. But as its release date approaches, this is what it needs at the box office.
28 Years Later’s Budget Is Reportedly $75 Million
This Is The Highest For Any Film In The Franchise
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the budget for 28 Years Later is around $75 million. While significant, this is actually not an exorbitant price tag for a big-scale movie releasing at the beginning of the summer blockbuster season. By comparison, Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth recently revealed a budget of $180 million, over double the cost of 28 Years Later. Even Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which is more strictly billed under the horror genre, beat out the zombie film’s cost by being budgeted at $90 million.
|
Box Office And Budget For Movies In 28 Days Later Franchise |
||
|---|---|---|
|
тιтle |
Budget |
Worldwide Box Office Gross |
|
28 Days Later (2002) |
$8 million |
$74.9 million |
|
28 Weeks Later (2007) |
$15 million |
$65 million |
|
28 Years Later (2025) |
$75 million |
TBD |
28 Years Later is by far the most expensive movie in its franchise. The first two movies had notably small budgets. The 2002 original was made on a budget of $8 million, and 28 Weeks Later barely doubled that, costing an estimated $15 million. Even with the success of these movies, the lower budgets made it such that it was far easier for these predecessors to turn a profit. This could pose a significant challenge to 28 Years Later as it continues on. Plus, the box office will be key in determining if the third movie gets made, as Boyle noted about financial limitations to completing the filming of the trilogy.
28 Years Later’s Opening Weekend Box Office Projections
It Is Positioned To Make At Least $34 Million
The actual box office numbers for 28 Years Later are yet to be revealed, but there are already some projections in place. According to a report from ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, 28 Years Later is projected to make at least $34 million during its opening weekend. This statistical estimate is based partially on the movie’s pre-sale tickets, which the source says represent the highest horror movie sales of the year so far. If the threequel does manage to meet or exceed these expectations, it will be the best opening weekend in the franchise by a long sH๏τ.
28 Years Later Needs To Make Over $187 Million To Be A Box Office Success
This Would Be Record-Setting For The Franchise
Big movies typically need to make around 2.5x their budget to break even and then start to turn a profit. This is because a film’s net budget does not include its marketing and distribution costs. 28 Years Later has had a particularly vibrant publicity campaign, releasing multiple trailers and inundating the world with posters. Given all this, the 2.5x budget estimate is likely accurate, so the film will need to make at least $187.5 million.
The marketing campaigns have so far been successful, with the first trailer amᴀssing an impressive 60.2 million global views in its first 24 hours online. Still, $187.5 million could be a big ask for a franchise whose movies have never cracked a $100 million gross. That said, the film is releasing at a good time since there is a growing interest in zombies from the recent release of projects such as The Last of Us season 2. Sinners has also proved the auteur horror can succeed this year, so hopefully 28 Years Later will follow suit.
