28 Years Later quickly breaks 28 Days Later record after first reviews

28 Years Later has been hailed as one of the best movies of 2025, and it’s already broken one of 28 Days Later’s records before its release.

The long-awaited film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, picks up – you guessed it – 28 years on from the events of the first movie.

While Cillian Murphy is expected to return in the next sequel (titled The Bone Temple), this movie will follow new characters; specifically, Spike (Alfie Williams), the son of Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and Isla (Jodie Comer). They live on a small island linked to the rest of the country by a single causeway, but they’re forced to venture back onto the mainland.

Considering the original film is one of the best horror movies of all time (28 Weeks Later is good too), expectations have been high for 28 Years Later – and, if anything, it appears to have exceeded them.

28 Years Later is rated higher than 28 Days Later on Rotten Tomatoes

28 Years Later is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% score. That’s a big achievement, considering 28 Days Later has an 87% score.

28 Weeks Later is widely considered to be the worst film in the series – but even then, that still has a 72% score.

It’s also Danny Boyle’s highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, followed by 127 Hours (93%), Slumdog Millionaire (91%), and Trainspotting (90%).

In our review, we wrote: “There are moments where 28 Years Later awkwardly combines genres, with comedy and tragedy rubbing shoulders with action and horror, sometimes in the same scene. But the movie works best when telling a simple story of the love between mother and son.”

This won’t be the last record set by 28 Years Later, either. The first film grossed $84.6 million worldwide, while its sequel made $65.8 million.

28 Years Later is practically guaranteed to make more than that. As per Deadline, it’s looking at a $56 million opening weekend. With word of mouth already strong, it could have long legs into July, though it’ll have to retain theatrical space alongside Jurassic World, Superman, and Fantastic Four.