Sony’s Latest Blockbuster Poised to Topple Avatar: Fire and Ash’s Box Office Reign

Alright, we've got some actual movement at the top of the box office for once – and honestly, it's about time. Sony's latest horror flick, '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple', is shaping up to finally push James Cameron's 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' out of that #1 spot after what feels like an eternity. (In box office terms, that's roughly a month, but who's counting.)

The Changing of the Guard

So here's where we're at. 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is rolling into its fifth weekend looking a little winded. Early estimates for the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend have 'Fire and Ash' pulling in $12–14 million. Not too shabby for most movies, but it's a noticeable drop from where it started, considering Cameron's last two underwater smurf epics clung to #1 for seven weekends each.

Meanwhile, here comes 'The Bone Temple' with projections of $20–22 million for the same stretch. If those numbers hold, that's a clean overtake, and the first time the third Avatar film will have to settle for something less than gold since opening.

Quick Look at the Numbers

• Avatar: Fire and Ash – $1.23 billion worldwide to date, but momentum is slowing.
• 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Budget of $63 million, chasing a $20–22 million opening, riding on the previous film’s $150 million worldwide total.
• First two Avatars still dwarfing everything with $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion apiece.

What’s Actually in 'The Bone Temple'?

If you forgot (hard to blame you with these sequel subtitles), this is the next chapter in the Rage Virus storyline. This time, Nia DaCosta is in the director's seat, with Alex Garland on script detail. The cast is surprisingly stacked: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, and Alfie Williams all feature, and frankly, the critics say they're killing it.

Just to put the hype in perspective: the film’s sitting at a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score right now, which is a franchise record. Reviews are calling out DaCosta’s direction and the leads’ performances as reasons to actually get excited about another sequel in this series, which, let’s be honest, doesn’t always happen.

The plot? Fiennes plays the not-so-nice Jimmy Crystal, leader of a gang called the Jimmys (yes, really), while Dr. Kelson (Jack O'Connell) is on the hunt for a cure. There’s a cameo by Cillian Murphy as Jim—just enough to tie back to the original run and tease the next chapter.

Another Sequel? Of Course.

Given the positive buzz and the way money’s looking, Sony's making zero secret about lining up another film to finish off the trilogy. The studio went public on that almost as soon as the first reviews hit. So, expect more virus-soaked mayhem before too long.

'The performances here make the apocalypse watchable again – and DaCosta might have just pulled off the best chapter yet.'

So, long story short: 'Avatar 3' is finally meeting its match at the box office, and, for once, it’s not another blue alien epic. It's zombies (well, Rage Virus-infected), a director with something to prove, and a fresh cast reminding everyone this series can still be surprising, even this many years later.