Nia DaCosta’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” ended the four-week reign of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and claimed the top spot at the domestic box office on Friday.
“The Bone Temple,” the sequel to last summer’s “28 Years Later” and the fourth film in Sony’s long-running zombie franchise, grossed $5.6 million on its opening day from 3,506 North American theaters. The horror-thriller is expected to add $15 million through the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday frame. The last installment, helmed by “28 Days Later” director Danny Boyle, opened to $30 million over a traditional three-day frame, and ended its run with $70 million in the States and $150 million worldwide. That film cost $60 million, and “The Bone Temple” was slightly more expensive to produce at $63 million.
Franchise mastermind Alex Garland penned the screenplay for “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” which follows Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell and Alfie Williams as they navigate the British countryside and fight off the deadly Rage Virus. The film has received rave reviews from critics and an “A-” from audience pollster CinemaScore, a rare feat in the horror genre.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” landed at No. 2 with $3.2 million on its fifth Friday in North American theaters. James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora looks to add an estiamated $17 million through the MLK frame. Domestic gross should hit about $367 million by Monday. Although “Fire and Ash’s” box office crown is lost for now, the film is expected to extend its winning streak through the weekend and notch a fifth week and No. 1. The first “Avatar” and its sequel “The Way of Water” were both No. 1 at the box office for seven consecutive weeks.
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean drama “Hamnet” expanded to 718 North American locations after several weeks in limited release. The film earned $13 million during its initial rollout and added another $370,000 on Friday. “Hamnet” should pull in $1.6 million through MLK Day.
Lionsgate’s thriller “The Housemaid” added $2.5 million on Friday for a third-place finish. Domestic earnings should hit $109 million through the holiday frame, an impressive feat considering it cost just $35 million to produce. A sequel is already in the works with star Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig returning.
Paramount’s monkey horror “Primate” landed in sixth during its second Friday in North American theaters, hauling in another $1.4 million. The film opened solidly last weekend with $13.4 million worldwide against a $21 million budget. The domestic total should reach $6.2 million by Monday.
Rounding out the top five are several holdovers from the holiday season: “Marty Supreme” and “Zootopia 2.” Disney’s “Zootopia 2” landed at No. 4 with $1.9 million domestically on Friday. The film is exhibiting astounding staying power, considering it was released in November. Rival estimates project a four-day gross of $12 million through MLK Day, which would raise the North American tally to $393 million. A24’s “Marty Supreme” took fifth with an estimated $1.6 million domestic. Total domestic gross should hit about $80 million by Monday.