Nia DaCosta is opening up about the box office struggles for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, admitting she was disappointed the sequel failed to connect in theaters despite strong reactions from those who saw it.
DaCosta, who previously directed The Marvels for Marvel Studios, told Empire that the response to The Bone Temple did not line up with the movie’s financial performance.
Nia DaCosta says the usual signs were strong
Speaking with Empire, DaCosta said the industry metrics suggested 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple should have performed better.
“It’s so funny, because literally every barometer we use in the industry to determine whether or not a movie is good, and people like it and want to see it, was through the roof, and yet our box office wasn’t there,” she said.
DaCosta added, “I made a great film, and I’m really proud of it, and people liked it.”
The director also questioned whether the sequel arrived too close to the first movie, which hit theaters last summer.
While fans only had to wait a matter of months between the two films, DaCosta said it may have been “maybe too soon,” adding that some viewers seemed to think the new release was the same movie.
The Bone Temple struggled at the box office
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple failed to break out in theaters and is considered a massive bomb.
The movie opened to only $12.5 million domestically and has made $58.5 million worldwide, including around $25 million domestic.
The release window also tells the story. The Bone Temple hit VOD after just 32 days in theaters. It also head to Netflix on March 31, only 74 days after release.
By comparison, last summer’s 28 Years Later took around 92 days to reach Netflix and brought in $151 million worldwide and over $70 million domestically. However, those numbers also aren’t that good.
The fast move to digital and streaming lines up with what Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos previously said while discussing films that underperform.
Doubt remains about the third movie
The bigger question is what happens next.
A third 28 Years Later movie has been discussed, and Cillian Murphy is said to be in talks, but nothing official has been announced.
Murphy also recently said “hope so” when asked about the third movie happening, which doesn’t exactly sound like a green light.
