’28 Years Later’ Grosses Triple What Cillian Murphy’s Science Fiction Bomb Made at the Global Box Office

Having completed a full week of release in theaters worldwide, director Danny Boyle’s long-awaited third installment in the 28… series, 28 Years Later, has passed its first major box office milestone. With more than $100 million in the bank globally, the movie is continuing the positive trend that Sinners and Final Destination Bloodlines began for the horror genre earlier this year. 28 Years Later is now also the top-grossing installment in the trilogy, having overtaken the $73 million lifetime haul of 28 Weeks Later, and the $84 million lifetime haul of 28 Days Later.

Also directed by Boyle and written by Alex Garland, the first film was released back in 2002, and featured the now Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy in the lead role. It changed the landscape of zombie movies, and has emerged as one of the most influential titles of the last two decades. Although 28 Years Later doesn’t feature Murphy, it has now grossed around three times as much as his 2007 science-fiction film with Boyle, Sunshine. Also starring Chris Evans, the cult hit made just over $34 million worldwide. The film’s global haul stands at $103 million, with $52 million coming from overseas markets.

28 Years Later has grossed over four times as much as Boyle’s divisive film noir Trance, and over twice as much as The Beach, which was also written by Garland. It has also overtaken Boyle’s breakout hit, Trainspotting. 28 Years Later opened to widespread acclaim, and is currently sitting at a “certified fresh” 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences don’t seem to be as receptive to Boyle and Garland’s unexpectedly grim horror sequel; they’ve awarded it a so-so 64% Rotten Tomatoes score.

A Sequel to ’28 Years Later’ Is Already In the Can

Produced on a reported budget of $60 million, the movie was bought in a frenzied bidding war by Sony, who also green-lit a direct follow-up. Titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the movie is already dated for a January release. It’s been directed by Nia DaCosta, and will likely involve the crazed cult seen at the end of this film, not to mention Ralph Fiennes’ menacing character. A third installment has also been written, and will probably be given the go-ahead any time now, seeing how well 28 Years Later has done both critically and commercially so far. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.