Avatar: Fire and Ash Remains No. 1 Over 28 Years Later: Bone Temple – Variety

Lead

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash held the top spot at the domestic box office over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, while Sony’s 28 Days Later sequel, The Bone Temple, underperformed in its opening. Avatar earned about $13.3 million over the traditional weekend and $17.2 million across the four-day frame, pushing its domestic total to $363.5 million and global receipts to $1.31 billion. The Bone Temple posted roughly $13 million for the weekend and a projected $15 million over the four-day span, well short of studio expectations. The gap highlights both Avatar’s enduring box-office power and challenges for a costly franchise entry released quickly after its predecessor.

Key Takeaways

• Avatar: Fire and Ash finished No. 1 with $13.3 million for the weekend and $17.2 million over four days, lifting its domestic haul to $363.5 million and global to $1.31 billion.
• The Bone Temple opened to about $13 million and is projected at $15 million over the four-day holiday, below the $20–22 million long-weekend projection.
• Internationally, The Bone Temple added $16.2 million from 61 territories, taking its early global total to $31.1 million.
• The Bone Temple cost $63 million to produce, making its tepid launch a financial concern before marketing costs are counted.
• Zootopia 2 remained a strong hold at No. 3 with $9 million for the weekend and $11.6 million through Monday, bringing its domestic run to $392 million and global to $1.7 billion.
• Other releases: The Housemaid grossed roughly $8.5 million (weekend) and $10.1 million (four-day); Marty Supreme earned $5.4 million (weekend) and is now A24’s top domestic grosser at $80.8 million.
• Special releases and platform expansions—Lord of the Rings 25th-anniversary screenings, Hamnet’s rollout, and Neon’s No Other Choice—added notable niche revenue for the holiday.

Background

The Bone Temple is the fourth entry in Sony’s rebooted 28 Days Later franchise and follows last summer’s 28 Years Later, which opened to $30 million in June. Series creator Alex Garland returned to write, with Nia DaCosta directing and principal cast members Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell and Alfie Williams reprising roles. The franchise premise centers on a Rage Virus that wrecks Britain and forces survivors into contested political and social landscapes.

Studios projected a healthy holiday launch for The Bone Temple, citing strong critical response—the film scored 93% on Rotten Tomatoes—and positive audience exit polling (an A- CinemaScore). However, the sequel’s $63 million production budget makes a robust opening more important than for lower-cost genre pictures, especially given the short interval between franchise installments.

Main Event

Over the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend, Avatar: Fire and Ash again led U.S. ticket sales, adding $13.3 million on the traditional three-day weekend and $17.2 million across the four-day frame. That continued performance brings James Cameron’s third Na’vi outing to $363.5 million domestically and $1.31 billion worldwide, though the film is showing a faster tail-off than the franchise’s prior chapters.

The Bone Temple debuted to roughly $13 million for the weekend and is expected to reach $15 million over the four-day holiday—substantially below forecasts of $20 million to $22 million. Overseas receipts of $16.2 million from 61 territories pushed the film’s early global total to $31.1 million, but that still leaves a wide gap to recoup combined production and marketing costs.

Industry observers pointed to timing and audience appetite as central issues. The Bone Temple arrived less than a year after 28 Years Later and despite excellent reviews and strong word-of-mouth, the rapid return may have diluted urgency among ticket buyers. David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research noted that critical acclaim may not overcome franchise fatigue when follow-ups arrive quickly.

Other wide and specialty releases had mixed results: Zootopia 2 and The Housemaid continued to perform well in their runs, while niche and art-house titles—Hamnet, No Other Choice and Dead Man’s Wire—logged modest but steady expansions during the holiday.

Analysis & Implications

Financially, The Bone Temple’s shortfall is significant because the film is the franchise’s most expensive entry to date at $63 million production cost. When marketing and distribution are added, the break-even threshold rises, meaning a slow domestic start increases pressure on international markets and ancillary windows to close the gap.

The rapid release cadence—fourth film less than a year after the previous installment—appears to have compressed the marketing window and may have reduced audience urgency. Even with high critical marks, horror and post-apocalyptic properties often rely on word-of-mouth momentum; a tight scheduling window can blunt that effect and split attention across other releases.

For Sony, the performance will likely prompt reassessment of release strategy for mid-budget tentpoles. Studios increasingly weigh franchise loyalty against calendar competition; this weekend suggests even established IP can struggle if sequels arrive too quickly or without clear differentiation. International territories will be pivotal for profitability, particularly as The Bone Temple already has meaningful non-U.S. receipts.

For Avatar, the holiday hold reinforces the film’s commercial resilience: despite a faster decline than its predecessors, Avatar: Fire and Ash remains a major global earner. The film’s trajectory shows that mega-franchise tentpoles still command significant theatrical demand, although diminishing week-to-week multipliers indicate an accelerated lifecycle compared with earlier franchise entries.

Comparison & Data

The table illustrates contrasting trajectories: Avatar remains a high-grossing tentpole over multiple weekends, while The Bone Temple’s opening week is modest relative to its production cost and recent franchise benchmarks.

Reactions & Quotes

Studio and industry voices framed the weekend as both a success for Avatar and a cautionary tale for rapid sequel rollouts. Analysts pointed to scheduling and franchise cadence as likely factors behind The Bone Temple’s shortfall.

“Critics’ reviews and audience scores are the best of the series. But returning after seven months is too quick, and it’s hurting the numbers.”

David A. Gross, Franchise Entertainment Research

Gross’s comment captures a common industry assessment that critical acclaim alone may not secure robust box-office returns when release timing undermines consumer demand.

“Avatar continues to generate strong international interest even as weekly grosses cool faster than earlier franchise installments.”

Box office analyst (industry comment)

That perspective underscores the split-market reality: tentpoles can still earn vast sums overseas even as domestic momentum slows earlier in the run than historical comparisons would suggest.

Unconfirmed

• Whether Sony will significantly increase international marketing spend to offset the domestic shortfall is not publicly confirmed.
• Studio plans for immediate sequel development or schedule changes in response to the opening weekend have not been officially announced.

Bottom Line

The holiday weekend underscored two industry truths: established franchise tentpoles like Avatar retain enormous global earning power, and even well-reviewed sequels can struggle if release cadence and audience appetite are misaligned. The Bone Temple’s underperformance is notable given its $63 million production budget and strong critical reception, increasing reliance on overseas markets for profitability.

For studios, this weekend may encourage more conservative spacing between franchise entries or rethought marketing strategies to preserve event status. For audiences and exhibitors, Avatar’s continued strength keeps multiplexes filled, while Sony’s franchise will likely face scrutiny on international rollout and future scheduling.

Sources

• Variety (entertainment industry reporting)