28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple gets positive buzz out of first test screening

28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland finally reunited to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected people) movie classic. 28 Years Later, which is meant to launch a whole trilogy of 28 Days Later sequels, reached theatres at the end of June, and the second chapter in the trilogy, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, is scheduled to be released on January 16, 2026. The first test screening of the sequel was held last month, and World of Reel reports that some very positive buzz has come out of that screening.

Garland also wrote the screenplays for the sequels that will come after 28 Years Later. Boyle directed the first one, then passed the helm over to Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta for the sequel. Boyle might circle back to direct 28 Years Later Part III, but that one doesn’t have a full greenlight yet, and probably won’t until we see how the second film does at the box office. 28 Years Later made $150 million at the global box office, but seemed to have trouble connecting with the audience. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray gave 28 Years Later a 7/10 review, and when we got a second opinion from Kier Gomes, he gave it a 6.5.

According to World of Reel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple could turn things around in a big way for this planned trilogy. Audience reports indicate multiple applause breaks during the film. One attendee who loved the first film said, “I thought part 1 was outstanding, but this surpassed it.” Jack O’Connell, coming off Sinners, is already being touted for “villain performance of the year” for the second year in a row. The central dynamic is essentially a duel between O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes’ bone shriner, Dr. Ian Kelson, who has a larger role than in the first instalment and delivers a performance that’s “even better” than the previous film. The script impresses, particularly the third act, which reportedly elicited a strongly positive reaction from attendees when the narrative took a bold turn. One insider hinted that there’s a sequence in the final act that will be talked about for much of 2026. Cinematically, the sequel takes a more traditional approach than its predecessor. Unlike the first film, there’s no evidence that iPhones or handheld cameras dominated the production; instead, DaCosta embraces a more classical filming style.

Thanks to their deal with Sony, each of the films in the trilogy will be receiving a theatrical release and will have budgets in the $60 million range. 28 Years Later had a budget of $75 million. Boyle and Garland produced 28 Years Later with Bernie Bellew, original producer Macdonald, and Peter Rice, who was the head of Fox Searchlight Pictures when that company backed 28 Days Later. Cillian Murphy received an executive producer credit.

Are you glad to hear that 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple‘s first test screening went well? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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