'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' The Gore, The Cult, and The Box Office Gamble

Credit: weliveentertainment/Aaron Neuwirth

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' brings a blood-soaked, cult-led nightmare to the MLK weekend box office, proving that humans are far scarier than the Rage virus.

Story Insight: Why "The Bone Temple" is the Most Twisted Chapter Yet

• The Jimmy Savile Cult: Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) leads a terrifying gang of tracksuit-wearing "Jimmies" who model themselves after a disgraced UK icon, turning survival into a sadistic religious game.
• The Iodine Doctor’s Secret: Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), now stained red by protective iodine, has shifted from mourning the dead to a bizarre, drug-fueled "friendship" with the towering Alpha infected, Samson.
• A Brutal Passing of the Torch: While last year’s film focused on family, director Nia DaCosta pivots to the "nature of evil," sidelining young Spike as he is forced into a grisly initiation within the cult's ranks.

Is it just me, or did the world of zombie cinema just get a whole lot weirder and significantly more metal? If you thought the "fast zombies" of 2002 were the peak of the franchise's terror, '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' is here to tell you that the living are much worse than the infected.

The industry is buzzing as the first reviews drop and the box office tracking trickles in. But the big question isn't just "will it make money?" It's "how did we get from a bicycle courier in London to a tracksuit-clad cult worshipping the son of Satan?" Today, we’re breaking down the madness, the money, and the Iodine-soaked mystery of the year’s most anticipated horror sequel.

Picking up moments after the previous film’s divisive ending, The Bone Temple finds young Spike (Alfie Williams) trapped in the clutches of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. While Variety and Deadline confirm the film shifts its focus toward Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Kelson, the real shocker is the "Jimmies." These aren't your typical wasteland raiders; they are an acrobatic, Teletubbies-obsessed cult.

The film splits into two haunting tracks:

1. The Cult: Jack O'Connell's Jimmy Crystal forces Spike into a "finger" (a loyal follower), leading to a stomach-turning initiation fight.
2. The Science: Dr. Kelson (Fiennes) is living in the titular Bone Temple, experimenting on "Samson," the Alpha leader. According to The Playlist, Kelson is essentially attempting "compassionate outreach" to a monster, using morphine to see if a human soul still exists beneath the rage.

Director Nia DaCosta (known for Candyman and The Marvels) hasn't played it safe. Speaking to Den of Geek, she noted, "I wanted to lean into the dark serenity of Kelson... and the mercurial, erratic energy of the Jimmies." Even screenwriter Alex Garland has teased that if the first film was about family, this one is a deep dive into the "nature of evil."

The "Jimmy Savile" aesthetic for the villains has sparked a firestorm on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter).

@CinemaSlayer: "Ralph Fiennes painted orange and listening to Iron Maiden while hanging out with a zombie? 10/10. No notes."

@HorrorHound26: "A cult in matching tracksuits and blonde wigs? I thought this was 28 Years Later, not a fever dream. But damn, it's effective."

According to Deadline, '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' is eyeing a $20M four-day opening over the MLK holiday weekend. While that’s a step down from the $30M opening of its predecessor, Sony remains bullish. Why? Because the "secret screenings" were so successful that they’ve already greenlit the third film, which will see the legendary Cillian Murphy return as Jim.

However, the film faces a "leak epidemic" of its own not of plot points, but of audience expectations. The first film's 70% second-week drop proved that the "nostalgia crowd" wanted a simple zombie flick, while DaCosta has delivered a "moody, existential metal-fest."

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' is a massive risk. It trades traditional jump scares for psychological flaying and "Duran Duran bangers." Will this bold direction fuel the hype for the final trilogy chapter, or will the grim "human violence" scare away the casual fans? One thing is for sure: you'll never look at a velour tracksuit the same way again.