1428 Elm previously reported that Sony would be releasing the acclaimed outbreak horror movie 28 Days Later on to digital for purchase or rental soon, but in light of the terrific performance and reception to the newly released 28 Years Later trailer, the company will be fast-tracking the digital release date. After not being available to buy digitally for years (and the physical copies going out of print), you will be able to purchase 28 Days Later at home starting on Wednesday, December 18.
The 2002 post-apocalyptic film started with infected chimpanzees escaping confinement to then unleash a terrifying and all-consuming virus that would go on to ravage all of Greater Britain. Alex Garland wrote the script for 28 Days Later, working alongside director Danny Boyle, and the pair are returning for the upcoming film 28 Years Later, the first in a planned trilogy.
Cillian Murphy played the lead role of bicycle courier Jim in the 2002 movie, a man who wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital 28 days after the chimps have gotten loose and spread the "Rage Virus" to countless people, exposing thousands more. By the end of the movie and its 2008 sequel, 28 Weeks Later, there seemed to be only the smallest glimmer of hope for humanity's continued survival.
Fans have been hungering for a continuation of this influential franchise and we'll finally be getting it next summer when the first film releases theatrically on June 20, 2025, to be followed by the sequel 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple from director Nia DaCosta.
What spurned Sony into quickly getting 28 Days Later back into the market? Well, the 28 Years Later has absolutely riveted viewers and become the most-watched horror trailer for all of 2024 in addition to being one of the most-watched horror trailers of all time, coming in right behind the popular It: Chapter Two trailer, reports Deadline.
The outlet also provided the numbers for some of the other popular horror trailers such as The Nun (55.4 million), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (55.2 million), and Smile 2 (33.1 million). The trailer for 28 Years Later beat out all of those movies in terms of trailer views.
It'll be nice for newcomers and diehard fans alike to get to revisit 28 Days Later before the next film drops in 2025. 28 Weeks Later has always been widely available but the original got caught in the Disney/Fox shuffle, and a rights issue kept it from being put on digital until now.
28 Years Later is releasing on June 20, 2025.