’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Looks To Unseal $20M+ Over MLK Holiday Weekend – Box Office
Sony’s sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hit tracking last week in what looks to be a $20M-plus 4-day opening weekend over the MLK holiday.
That would make the Nia Costa directed, Alex Garland written, and Danny Boyle produced British horror movie one of 32 movies to open north of $20M at the Friday through Monday MLK box office.
MLK, which falls on Monday, Jan. 19 next year, is often seen as the cap off of holiday moviegoing. While colleges and K-12 schools are both 94% off on MLK per ComScore, 76% to 84% colleges remain on break during the first week of January, while 37% to 42% are off during the second weekend. Tickets for Bone Temple go on sale on Jan. 2; advance pre-sales always a factor in working a projection in addition to tracking.
Sony has been screening Bone Temple consistently throughout the month. Following a rapturous fan one at AMC’s Century City, we told you first that Sony was moving forward on their option for the third 28 Years Later title (overall fifth in the franchise) with Cillian Murphy in talks to star, and Garland already penning the screenplay. Boyle has said during 28 Years Later‘s summer press tour he’d like to helm the next movie.
28 Years Later follows the human survivors in a future where the Infected remain years after the events of 2007s 28 Weeks Later — however, they don’t walk among us, rather they’re penned in the wilderness. The movie opened last June to $30M stateside and went onto to gross $70.4M domestic, and $151.3M worldwide. The Boyle directed movie (the second he directed in the series) pulled in close to half men over 25, 26% women over 25, 13% men under 25 and 13% women under 25. Bone Temple remains a first choice on tracking among men over 25 followed by women under 25 with similar scores to that of last year’s Nosferatu (which posted a 3-day opening over Christmas stretch of $21.6M, 5-day of $40.8M).
All in, the entire British horror series across three features has minted close to $300 million worldwide. Bone Temple, which takes place promptly after 28 Years Later, is set against a divided society in which we see young Spike teaming with Sir Jimmy Crystal’s gang (Josh O’Connell) as Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson looks to quell the infected outbreak. No RT critics and audience scores yet, though fans and press have exclaimed their praises to the sky on social, which you can read below.
Sony recently kept big screen comedies alive over the Christmas stretch with the Jack Black-Paul Rudd movie Anaconda posting a $23.6M 4-day opening.
Also opening on Jan. 16 alongside Bone Temple is frosh distributor Row K’s first theatrical release, Dead Man’s Wire from Gus Van Sant, as well as a wide break of Focus Features’ Chloe Zhao helmed Hamnet, which is currently in limited release.
