Sony screened 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in New York almost six weeks early and actually allowed critics to tweet about it. That’s confidence. While they still can’t post full reviews until January, the influencer crowd had the time of their lives. The first reactions to the film call it one of the best in the franchise and the horror genre as a whole.
One viewer told someone afterward, “I thought part one was outstanding, but this surpassed it.” Multiple applause breaks reportedly erupted during the late-August test screenings. Jack O’Connell, coming off Sinners, is getting a lot of love for his role, which some are already calling the villain performance of 2026. He faces off against Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson, who apparently has a meatier role this time and walks away with “one especially insane sequence that rightfully drew applause,” according to @AmonWarmann.
DaCosta’s direction gives the franchise a more classical kick. Gone are the iPhones and jittery handheld shots. Gone too is any restraint. One X/Twitter user, @paulkleinyoo, said, “So I loved #28YearsLater #TheBoneTemple a brutal examination of faith, control and fear… I think people will be shocked by how weird it gets.” Weird is a compliment here.
Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple script reportedly punches hardest in the third act. There’s a specific moment late in the film that insiders swear we’ll be arguing about all through 2026. @NextBestPicture praised the film for “deepening the franchise’s lore with new questions and some long-awaited answers.” @simplykraus called it “brilliant: a sequel that operates on a much weirder wavelength.”
The stakes aren’t just fictional. Sony still hasn’t funded the trilogy’s finale. Danny Boyle has promised Cillian Murphy for the third entry, but no script exists yet. Ironically, the fate of the apocalypse depends on box office maths.
If 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple does well (like these early reactions suggest), Sony might finally give fans what they’ve waited twenty-plus years for: a proper finish.
The release day is locked for January 16, 2026.
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