‘Bone Temple’ Challenges ‘Avatar 3’ for Box Office Supremacy

The upcoming film “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is set to challenge “Avatar: Fire and Ash” for dominance at the box office. The fourth entry in the “28 Days Later” franchise, this movie aims for a domestic debut of $20 million to $22 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

Box Office Showdown: “Bone Temple” vs. “Avatar 3”

Previous installments have seen fluctuating success. Its series predecessor, “28 Years Later,” launched six months ago with a $30 million opening weekend and concluded with $70 million in North America and $150 million worldwide, operating on a budget of $60 million. In contrast, “The Bone Temple” comes with a higher production cost of $63 million.

Critical Reception and Competition

Under the direction of Nia DaCosta and the script of series creator Alex Garland, “The Bone Temple” resumes the story in a post-apocalyptic Britain plagued by a Rage Virus. This film brings back familiar faces such as Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams. It currently enjoys a favorable Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, backed by positive reviews. Variety’s Peter Debruge praised it as “bold, mind-bending work.”

In addition to “The Bone Temple,” the box office competition includes Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” which is expanding to 688 theaters after its limited release. The film recently won a Golden Globe for best motion picture drama and has grossed $13 million domestically so far.

Continuing Success of “Avatar: Fire and Ash”

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” continues to lead the box office, projected to earn an additional $18 million to $19 million over the same four-day period. Despite its global revenue of $1.23 billion, it shows signs of slowing down compared to earlier films in the franchise. Notably, the first two “Avatar” films dominated the box office for seven weekends consecutive, whereas “Fire and Ash” is nearing the end of its five-week reign.

Future Expectations

Hollywood expectations for “Avatar 3” are particularly high, given the immense success of its predecessors. The original “Avatar” raked in $2.9 billion, while its sequel amassed $2.3 billion. Director James Cameron has humorously suggested that he will reassess the future of the franchise during a press conference after evaluating the financial outcome of the third film.

Upcoming Releases and Trends

January is traditionally a slower month for theaters, but upcoming films such as Amazon MGM’s “Mercy,” Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” and Jason Statham’s “Shelter” aim to draw audiences. According to Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, patience will be crucial as viewers look forward to these anticipated releases.