“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” proved to be no match for “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which remained No. 1 at the domestic box office in its fifth weekend of release.
“The Bone Temple” stumbled with $13 million over the weekend and a projected $15 million in its four-day debut over Martin Luther King Jr. Day — below expectations of $20 million to $22 million over the long weekend.
The fourth installment in Sony’s dystopian “28 Days Later” franchise has great reviews and word of mouth (a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls), so its possible the studio had overestimated the public’s appetite for the infected. After all, “The Bone Temple” was released less than a year after its zombie-infested predecessor, “28 Years Later,” which opened last June to $30 million over the traditional three-day weekend.
“This is a steep drop from the third installment,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Critics’ reviews and audience scores are the best of the series. But returning after seven months is too quick, and it’s hurting the numbers.”
That could become a problem for Sony because “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is the franchise’s most expensive film yet, costing $63 million to produce before marketing expenses. Directed by Nia DaCosta and written by series creator Alex Garland, “The Bone Temple” takes place after the previous film and brings back Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell and Alfie Williams as they continue to grapple with a Rage Virus that’s ravaging a post-apocalyptic Britain.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” continued its reign with $13.3 million over the weekend and $17.2 million through the four-day frame. So far, James Cameron’s third Na’vi adventure has generated $363.5 million domestically and $1.31 billion globally. Although a theatrical juggernaut, “Avatar 3” is running out of steam faster than the first two films, 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which stand as two of the biggest movies in history with $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively.
Outside of the top 10, Neon’s dark comedy “No Other Choice” has generated $2.2 million over the weekend and a projected $2.8 million through Monday from 695 theaters. The film, directed by acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, has amassed $6.9 million domestically to date while slowly expanding its theatrical footprint.
Elsewhere, Chloe Zhao’s Shakespearean tragedy “Hamnet” earned $1.3 million over the weekend and a projected $1.6 million through Monday while expanding to 718 theaters. The film, which recently won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama as well as a best actress trophy for star Jessie Buckley, has earned an impressive $15 million domestically during its platform rollout. Overseas “Hamnet” has made $12.9 million for a global tally of $27.5 million.
Another new release, Gus Van Sant’s crime thriller “Dead Man’s Wire,” collected $1 million over the weekend and $1.2 million from 1,101 theaters in its nationwide expansion. This is the first release for Row K, which launched in August 2025 and has several films on the calendar for 2026.
Since January tends to be glacial at the box office, several Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers rounded out the top five on domestic charts.
“Zootopia 2” was No. 3 with $9 million over the weekend and $11.6 million through Monday in its eighth (!) weekend of release. The animated sequel has remained a box office force for two months with $392 million domestically and $1.7 billion globally. It now stands as the highest-grossing animated Hollywood film of all time.
Fourth place went to “The Housemaid” with $8.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $10.1 million over the four-day frame, another impressive turnout for Lionsgate’s psychological thriller. The R-rated film, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, has grossed $108.7 million in North America and $247.3 million globally against a $35 million budget, a very encouraging result at a tough time for mid-budget movies. “The Housemaid” is the first novel in McFadden’s best-selling trilogy, so naturally the sequel, “The Housemaid’s Secret,” is already in the works with Sweeney and director Paul Feig.
“Marty Supreme” captured fifth place with $5.4 million over the weekend and a projected $6.6 million through Monday’s holiday. The R-rated film has earned $80.8 million at the domestic box office, surpassing “Everything Everywhere All at Once” ($77 million) as A24’s highest-grossing film in North America. “Marty Supreme,” which has only been released in select international territories so far, has grossed $17 million overseas and $97 million globally. At this point, “Everything Everywhere” remains A24’s highest-grossing worldwide release with $142 million, followed by Alex Garland’s dystopian thriller “Civil War” with $127 million worldwide.
