28 Years Later was a huge success when it hit theaters last year, but could the franchise have ended after just two movies, despite a third being announced? This is a possibility since the film has just hit digital, so fans can watch it at home. The clues that this could be the end are the promos to buy 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The first 28 Years Later movie arrived in 2025, picking up the story from the previous 28 Days Later and 28 Months Later and showing how the UK dealt with the spreading infection. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple came out only a few months later and showed how some of the infected were gaining more intelligence, and possibly moving forward.
The big problem is the social media promo sent out by the official 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple X account. It had a short teaser and then added the caption: “Cancel your plans. Grab your snacks. Gather at The Bone Temple. Witness the ending you’ve been waiting 28 years for – #28YearsLater: The Bone Temple is now on Digital and in Theatres.” The worrisome part of that post was the comment: “Witness the ending you’ve been waiting 28 years for.”
Cancel your plans. Grab your snacks. Gather at The Bone Temple.
Witness the ending you’ve been waiting 28 years for – #28YearsLater: The Bone Temple is now on Digital and in Theatres. pic.twitter.com/rSMFYZKtqE
— 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (@28YearsLaterMov) February 21, 2026
Would Sony End 28 Years Later After Just Two Movies?
Image Courtesy of Sony
This film was never supposed to be the ending of the 28 Years Later franchise, and there was much more teased at the end of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which ended on a cliffhanger. This included an infected man gaining memories of his past and then the arrival of Jim (Cillian Murphy), returning for the first time since 28 Days Later.
Fans on X immediately picked up on the wording and began to flood the comments with questions about what the ad means by the “ending.” One commenter wrote, “How is it the ending we’ve been waiting for when it ends on a cliffhanger?” Someone then commented that the sequel flopped, which might explain it.
Another fan asked why they should bother paying to watch 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple if the third movie has already been cancelled. Another fan said that they should because “it’s still good and has finales for two characters.”
Because it’s still good and has finales for two characters?
— Dan (@DaniVictHodd) February 21, 2026
However, there was another fan who believed that the X audience was reading too much into the wording. After one commenter said it isn’t fair to end on a cliffhanger, someone responded, “Fans have been waiting for Cillian Murphy to return who shows up at the end. Everyone on this app is reading into this wrong. It’s not that deep.”
Use your brain. “Witness the ending you’ve been waiting for”. Fans have been waiting for Cillian Murphy to return who shows up at the end. Everyone on this app is reading into this wrong. It’s not that deep.
— The Movie Simp (@SimpMovies) February 22, 2026
28 Years Later came out on June 20, 2025, and it was a decent box office success, making $151.3 million on a $60 million budget. It also received high critical praise, with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. That movie saw Danny Boyle return to the franchise as the director, but 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple struggled at the box office, only making $57.6 million on a $63 million budget. The idea that the franchise was cancelled was based on those numbers. On the other hand, the sequel received even higher praise than 28 Years Later, with a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite that, Danny Boyle did not direct The Bone Temple, and that movie ended with the return of Cillian Murphy as Jim, the protagonist from 20 Days Later. Additionally, Sony has not announced that the third movie was cancelled. It was actually reported last December that Sony was moving forward with the 28 Years Later sequel, with Murphy in talks to return as Jim, Boyle directing, and Alex Garland writing the script.
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