Sony’s “28 Years Later” got a running start at the domestic box office with $14 million across Friday and preview screenings. Meanwhile, Disney’s original animated adventure “Elio” is in danger of hitting the lowest debut ever for a Pixar production. Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” is getting a second weekend on top of North American charts.
In second place, “28 Years Later” is now dashing toward an opening north of $30 million — a bit ahead of projections heading into the weekend. It’d be a good start for the hopeful franchise rejuvenator, which cost $60 million. Sony won the production in a bidding war, which saw studios vying for a package billed as the reunion of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, teaming for a belated follow-up to their zombie thriller “28 Days Later,” released in 2002 (though this new entry arrives only 23 years later).
Related Stories
Spin Master Names Christina Miller CEO as Max Rangel Steps Down
A sequel to “28 Years Later,” directed by Nia DaCosta and subtitled “The Bone Temple,” has already been filmed and is set to release from Sony in January 2026. A third, trilogy-capping entry is still awaiting a production greenlight, dependent on the box office turnout for this entry.
Popular on Variety
Reviews have been terrific for the sequel, which introduces a new cast that includes Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Alfie Williams. General audiences seem to be more mixed, with survey firm CinemaScore polling early moviegoers to a “B” grade — not stellar, though also in the tradition of horror films scoring lower.
Meanwhile, “Elio” earned $9 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,750 locations. It’s some serious whiplash for Pixar, which, just one year ago, scored its second-biggest North American opening ever ($155 million) with “Inside Out 2.” (That movie now ranks as the second-highest-grossing animated feature of all time.) Now, the premier animation studio is projecting its lowest domestic debut ever for “Elio,” well behind the $29 million showing for “Elemental” in 2023.
Now, “Elemental” did bounce back and wind up a modest theatrical success, finishing with $484 million globally and a stellar 5.22x multiplier. And it wouldn’t necessarily be impossible for “Elio” to do something similar, with even better reviews and a fantastic “A” grade on CinemaScore. But unless things turn around, this has to be judged as a rough start for the original animated film, which cost $150 million to produce.
“How to Train Your Dragon” still gets the top spot in its sophomore outing, earning another $10.8 million on Friday. Projections for the second weekend are now at $35.7 million, which would mark a 58% drop from its opening. Total domestic gross has a shot at hitting $160 million through its first 10 days in theaters, ranking it as the seventh-highest-grossing North American release of the year.
Another live-action remake is in fourth place, with Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” earning another $3 million on Friday. Now in its fifth weekend of release, the PG-rated comedy is looking at about $10 million over the three-day frame to push its domestic total to $387 million. This weekend, the film is passing “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” ($382 million) to become the 55th-biggest domestic grosser of all-time.
Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” rounds out the top five, putting up another strong hold with a projected 33% drop in its fifth outing. After the weekend, the Tom Cruise action sequel will be at about a $178.9 million domestic total through 31 days of release —an uptick from the 2023 franchise predecessor “Dead Reckoning,” which finished with $171 million.
Just below, A24’s “Materialists” is showing a decent hold in sixth place, projecting a sophomore outing of about $6 million, which would mark a 45% drop from its opening. Domestic total should hit $24 million through 10 days.
Also opening this weekend, Magenta Light Studios has the Rebel Wilson action comedy “Bride Hard” in 1,165 locations. After landing poor reviews and a ho-hum “B-” grade on CinemaScore, the film will struggle to hit $1 million in its debut, opening outside of the top 10.
