High-quality work doesn’t automatically guarantee box office success—we all know that. And it seems that the film 28 Years Later: The Temple of Bones is shaping up to be a striking example of this. When the trilogy continuing the zombie horrors 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later was first announced, it sparked a frenzy of excitement, with the trailer racking up massive views. The first film in the planned trilogy, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), was well-received by critics, but many viewers complained that the genre had shifted significantly away from pure post-apocalyptic horror. Worldwide box office revenues stalled at $151 million—not exactly a blockbuster—so it was lucky that Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and Alex Garland (Civil War) filmed the sequel, The Temple of Bones, simultaneously; otherwise, we might never have seen it.
It’s quite possible that this is why distributing studio Sony Pictures is now lamenting this decision: the sequel drew even fewer moviegoers than the first. Its opening weekend in the U.S. brought in just $15 million—half of what the first film earned and well below initial projections. Global revenues show similar numbers, totaling roughly $30 million for the opening weekend—a serious problem given the $63 million budget and expensive marketing campaign. While database ratings are high and critics and audiences alike praise Ralph Fiennes’ (The Forgiven) performance, it’s unlikely to translate into sufficient earnings. The big question now is what this will mean for a potential continuation of the series.
Garland and Boyle have openly stated that the story was conceived as a trilogy from the start, with Boyle intending to direct the finale. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), who helped launch the series as a young actor, is expected to return in a leading role. Sony reportedly greenlit the project following positive test screenings, but a box office flop of this magnitude may force a rethink, as the downward revenue trend is clear. Pouring tens of millions into a franchise that audiences aren’t flocking to is not economically sound. The coming days will show whether the film might become a sleeper hit thanks to very positive reactions, especially since the next few weeks at the box office are relatively quiet. So if you want to see Jim navigating a virus-ravaged Britain again, now is the time to head to theaters.
The same goes for the Avatar sequel. Here too, we see a clear downward revenue trend: Avatar: The Way of Water is dropping faster than expected. Of course, we can’t call it a flop—the film continues to make huge money and is once again number one in the weekly box office. Globally, it has reached $1.318 billion, and the third installment is likely to surpass $1.5 billion. Compared to the first two films, however, it still represents a significant drop, making it hard to predict whether James Cameron (Aliens) will take on the planned fourth and fifth installments. It’s almost certain that Avatar will continue, as Disney won’t let such a lucrative franchise lie dormant—but whether the original creator will remain at the helm is another question.
Third place, however, is a clear triumph: Zootropolis: City of Animals 2 is enjoying phenomenal box office success, grossing $1.7 billion worldwide. It claims the title of the highest-grossing animated film ever and likely the highest-grossing film released last year, aside from the Chinese phenomenon Ne Zha 2, where the government reportedly sent large numbers of people for free screenings to inflate numbers. Fourth place goes to The Helper, starring Sydney Sweeney (Madam Web) and Amanda Seyfried (Mank), which became a surprising hit, reaching nearly $250 million worldwide, prompting plans for a sequel.
A24’s Big Marty also likely brings joy to accountants, despite the studio taking a risk. With a reportedly $70 million budget, it needed strong earnings to avoid another flop, and it succeeded: $80 million domestically and $107 million worldwide. The involvement of one of today’s biggest stars, Timothée Chalamet (Dune, Call Me by Your Name), who vigorously promoted the film on social media, paid off handsomely. Meanwhile, the horror film Primát, featuring a murderous primate, dropped sharply after a promising start and has only grossed $24 million worldwide—not a hit by any means. In contrast, the extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring earned more than $3 million in the U.S., proving that even nearly twenty-five years after release, a strong franchise still holds immense power.
Great 🙂