{"id":418158,"date":"2026-01-18T22:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T22:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/418158\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T22:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T22:29:09","slug":"the-bone-temple-opens-poorly-over-50-less-than-28-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/418158\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bone Temple opens poorly; over 50% less than 28 Years Later"},"content":{"rendered":"

While fans of the\u00a028 Days Later\u00a0franchise<\/a> have long hoped for a proper return\u2014ideally one that brings\u00a0Cillian Murphy back into the fold\u2014that comeback may now be in jeopardy. Sony\u2019s confidence in continuing the series appears shaken after\u00a0The Bone Temple\u00a0delivered a strikingly poor opening weekend.<\/p>\n

Most box-office pundits (including us<\/a>) projected a modest\u00a0$18\u201320 million\u00a0opening over the MLK Day holiday. Instead, the film looks set to finish the\u00a0four-day weekend at just $15 million, with the traditional three-day frame landing at an alarming\u00a0$13 million.<\/p>\n

For comparison,\u00a028 Years Later\u00a0opened to\u00a0$30 million\u00a0over three days. That\u2019s a shocking drop.<\/p>\n

Why Did Audiences Skip\u00a0The Bone Temple?<\/p>\n

The reason is fairly simple: many horror fans didn\u2019t care for\u00a028 Years Later, and that apathy carried over. Despite strong early buzz, audiences largely chose to sit this one out.<\/p>\n

Even the fact that the film was handed off to a new director\u2014Nia DaCosta\u2014and boasts an impressive\u00a094% Rotten Tomatoes score\u00a0didn\u2019t seem to move the needle. For many, this felt like a \u201cwait for streaming\u201d title.<\/p>\n

Critics Loved It (And So Did Audiences Who Showed Up)<\/p>\n

Ironically, those who\u00a0did\u00a0see\u00a0The Bone Temple\u00a0overwhelmingly loved it. The film earned an\u00a0A-minus CinemaScore, an extremely rare grade for a horror release. The last genre title to pull that off was\u00a0Weapons.<\/p>\n

For context, I gave the film a\u00a09\/10<\/a>, and one of our other critics,\u00a0Tyler Nichols, only went because of that recommendation. He hated\u00a028 Years Later\u00a0and was convinced he\u2019d hate this too\u2014yet he ended up loving it so much that he wrote a full think piece, which we\u2019ll be posting tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Hopefully more moviegoers follow Tyler\u2019s lead. Because if this box-office trajectory holds, it\u2019s hard to see another theatrical sequel happening\u2014unless Sony opts for a direct-to-streaming finale.<\/p>\n

Avatar: Fire and Ash\u00a0Holds Strong at #1<\/p>\n

The Bone Temple\u2019s loss proved to be\u00a0Avatar: Fire and Ash\u2019s gain. The third film in James Cameron\u2019s saga earned\u00a0$13.3 million, dropping just\u00a038%\u00a0from last weekend.<\/p>\n

Its domestic total now stands at\u00a0$363 million, with\u00a0$400 million\u00a0well within reach.<\/p>\n

Zootopia 2\u00a0and\u00a0The Housemaid\u00a0Keep Cleaning Up<\/p>\n

Zootopia 2\u00a0added another\u00a0$8.7 million, pushing its domestic total to\u00a0$390 million. Worldwide, it has now earned\u00a0$1.7 billion, making it the\u00a0ninth highest-grossing film of all time globally.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0The Housemaid\u00a0continued its stellar run with\u00a0$8.5 million, a slim\u00a022% drop\u00a0from last week. Its domestic total has crossed\u00a0$107 million, and with a sequel shooting this spring, it wouldn\u2019t be shocking to see a follow-up rushed into theaters for the same Christmas corridor next year.<\/p>\n

A24 Breaks Its Own Record<\/p>\n

A24 now has its\u00a0biggest domestic hit ever, as\u00a0Marty Supreme\u00a0has surpassed\u00a0Everything Everywhere All at Once, with it likely to cross the\u00a0$80 million\u00a0mark domestically by tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The film placed fifth this weekend with\u00a0$5.4 million, and a\u00a0$100 million\u00a0finish is very much in play.<\/p>\n

Horror Drops, Re-Releases Rise<\/p>\n

Paramount\u2019s\u00a0Primate\u00a0suffered a steep\u00a055% second-week drop, earning\u00a0$5 million\u00a0for a\u00a0$19.5 million\u00a0domestic total.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the re-release of\u00a0The Lord of the Rings trilogy\u00a0(extended editions) performed well.\u00a0The Fellowship of the Ring\u00a0cracked the top ten with\u00a0$3.58 million, despite limited showtimes. The Two Towers rounded out the top 10 with $2.4 million<\/p>\n

The Rest of the Top 10<\/p>\n

Greenland 2: Migration\u00a0dropped\u00a060%, earning\u00a0$3.3 million\u00a0for a\u00a0$14 million\u00a0domestic total<\/p>\n

Anaconda\u00a0added\u00a0$3 million, bringing its run to\u00a0$56 million<\/p>\n

\"JoBlo<\/p>\n

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