28 Years Later is the Highest-Grossing Zombie Movie Since 2019: Here's How Much It Made at the Box Office

The long-awaited third film in the Rage Virus saga opened on June 20, pulling in $32.8 million domestically over its first weekend. That would've sounded shaky against its reported $60 million budget, except it also racked up $30 million internationally, bringing the global total to $62 million by Sunday night. Not bad for a genre that's been crawling on autopilot since Zombieland: Double Tap.

And it didn't stop there. In its second weekend, the film added another $13.7 million overseas, pushing the worldwide total to $103 million — making it the biggest box office haul in the entire franchise, and the top-performing zombie film since Double Tap's $123 million run.

Critics are on board too:

• 89% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
• 76 Metascore
• B CinemaScore from audiences
• 7.2 on IMDb

So yes — the zombies are back, and people are actually paying attention.

What's Next for the Franchise?

Turns out, this wasn't a one-off. Sony's already locked in a trilogy, with the second film, titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, hitting theaters January 16, 2026. Directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman), it was shot back-to-back with the first and written again by Alex Garland.

Even better? Danny Boyle will return to direct the third and final chapter — a smart move, considering his creative chemistry with Garland is what made the franchise work in the first place.

And yes, Cillian Murphy is back. According to Boyle, Murphy's character, Jim, reappears at the end of The Bone Temple and will play a major role in the third film.

"I've seen a rough cut of Nia DaCosta's film, 'The Bone Temple,' and he is introduced beautifully at the end of that film. And that obviously leads you, in the way that you'll probably realize that Jimmy is going to be a huge part of the second movie, having been introduced in the coda of the first movie. Likewise, Cillian will be a huge part of the third movie."

So, to sum it up:

• The trilogy is locked
• The money is rolling in
• The original team's still on board
• And the next chapter drops in January 2026

For a zombie franchise that took nearly two decades to rise from the grave, 28 Years Later is looking very much alive.