The latest Avatar film lived up to expectations at the box office, but its run at the top is now over. After 27 days, previews of a new film have ended its reign as number one.
James Cameron’s latest Avatar film launched to huge success on December 19th and has remained the top movie ever since. However, after nearly a month, the highly anticipated and critically acclaimed new installment in the dystopian horror series, directed by Nia Da Costa, is poised to become one of the decade’s biggest horror hits.
This past Thursday, previews for The Bone Temple earned $2.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, leading up to its full release over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Avatar: Fire and Ash came in second with $1.48 million. The Bone Temple is expected to remain the top film domestically this weekend, as interest in Avatar: Fire and Ash wanes and it prepares for its release on demand.
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Is a Superior Sequel
When Danny Boyle and Alex Garland announced they were revisiting the zombie world they first explored nearly thirty years ago with a new trilogy, many wondered if the long gap – from 2007’s 28 Weeks Later to the planned 2025 release of 28 Years Later – would hurt the series.
The film debuted in June 2025 with a strong cast – Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell, and Ralph Fiennes – and quickly earned $151 million worldwide. Critics loved it as a worthy sequel to 28… Later. Now, The Bone Temple is set to revitalize the series, directed by Nia Da Costa, who previously worked on The Marvels and Candyman.
Currently, critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have been almost perfect and the film holds a 94% score on the site’s Tomatometer. First audience reviews have massively upgraded the film’s score from its predecessor, with The Bone Temple‘s 90% being a huge improvement on 28 Years Later‘s unnecessarily harsh 63%. As it stands, the new installment is scoring higher than even 2003’s 28 Days Later (87% critics, 85% audience). Critics have called it a “scary, savvy fright fest” that is elevated by “incredible performances from Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes.” Meanwhile, on the audience side of things, one called the film “amazing, no notes” and “insanely good.”
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Despite the quick production of the sequel to 28 Years Later – only seven months after the first – the final movie in the trilogy might take a bit longer to make. Danny Boyle is set to direct, and he’ll be responsible for wrapping up the story in a way that satisfies fans.
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2026-01-17 16:17