Netflix Just Confirmed When 28 Years Later Hits Streaming — And It's Sooner Than You Think
After months of speculation and endless fan theories about when the long-awaited sequel would hit, the streamer has given the green light.
Horror sequels have been eating well in 2025, but the one everyone had circled was 28 Years Later. Eighteen years after the last entry, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland finally took another lap around the rage virus, and now we know when you can watch it at home without worrying about who is coughing in row J.
When it hits streaming (and shelves)
Netflix says 28 Years Later starts streaming in the U.S. on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. That is roughly a three-month sprint from theaters to couch, which is fast but not exactly shocking in 2025. If you are a disc person, the physical editions follow almost immediately: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD all land on Sept. 23.
The quick-hit essentials
- Theatrical release: June 20, 2025
- Box office: $150.4 million worldwide, the biggest haul in the franchise so far
- Streaming: Netflix (U.S.) on Sept. 20, 2025
- Physical media: 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD on Sept. 23, 2025
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Writer: Alex Garland
- Producers: Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Bernard Bellew
- Runtime: 126 minutes
- Cast: Jodie Comer (Isla), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Jamie), newcomer Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes
- Franchise: Follows 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later
- Next up: Sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was shot back-to-back and opens Jan. 16, 2026, with Nia DaCosta taking over from Boyle
What this chapter is actually about
We are nearly three decades removed from the rage virus escape, which originally came out of a bioweapons lab. The UK is still under a harsh quarantine. A pocket of survivors has carved out a life on a small island connected to the mainland by one heavily fortified causeway. When one of them heads into the mainland on a mission, he finds out the obvious: time changes everything. The infected have mutated, sure, but so have the people who made it this far. Secrets, wonders, horrors — pick your flavor; they are all in play.
How it went over
Critics showed up big. The movie sits Certified Fresh at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest critic score in the series. Audiences were more split, landing at 63%, which is the lowest audience score the franchise has seen. Yin and yang. If you want the vibe check: some reviewers praised it for digging into people and community when society collapses; others thought the movie meanders and cannot pick a lane.
'This film made me feel things that a typical zombie movie does not.'
On the other side, you had fans calling it disjointed and thin on substance, frustrated that the plot keeps pivoting between family drama, mental health story, and stylish revenge beats. The ending in particular has been a Rorschach test — some love it, some are ready to throw a pint across the pub. Either way, it clearly touched a nerve.
The inside-baseball bit
Sony and company did the old-school franchise play: they shot the follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, back-to-back with this one. Boyle steps aside for the sequel and Nia DaCosta takes the wheel. It is dated for Jan. 16, 2026, which explains the quick turn to streaming and discs — they want momentum rolling into part two.
Bottom line: if you missed it in theaters or you are ready for round two with the rage, you can hit play on Netflix Sept. 20. Then start your calendar for The Bone Temple a few months later.