To differentiate yourself in a packed genre and become one of the top zombie movies ever, adding a unique twist to the undead theme is essential. That’s precisely what 2003’s “28 Days Later” achieved: it was among the pioneering films to depict zombies sprinting at alarming speeds instead of their usual slow shuffle. The movie was instantly regarded as a classic and still enjoys that status today — unlike its initial sequel, 2007’s “28 Weeks Later,” which occasionally gets overlooked despite being another standout in the zombie film genre.

Recently, “28 Weeks Later” — featuring Idris Elba and Jeremy Renner — has been gaining traction on Hulu. Several factors contribute to this: primarily, the much-anticipated release of the third installment, “28 Years Later,” has prompted viewers to revisit the earlier films in the series. Additionally, “28 Days Later” is currently only available for purchase or digital rental. Previously, it spent years entirely absent from digital platforms and is no longer available on DVD or Blu-ray, rendering physical copies quite costly. 

All of this has helped drive people towards the much more accessible “28 Weeks Later” instead, giving it a boost it might not have gotten otherwise. 

Some initial skepticism surrounded “28 Weeks Later” from audiences. A notable reason was the absence of the original’s screenplay and direction team — Alex Garland and Danny Boyle — who did not return for the sequel. Furthermore, it introduced a completely new cast, with Jeremy Renner as a military sniper and Idris Elba as an army general. Although they weren’t complete newcomers, neither was yet the prominent figure they would eventually become, meaning they weren’t yet stars capable of driving box-office success based solely on their names. 

All that said, “28 Weeks Later” still did fairly well at the box office given its modest budget. It also scored a respectable 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus reading, “While ’28 Weeks Later’ lacks the humanism that made ’28 Days Later’ a classic, it’s made up with fantastic atmosphere and punchy direction.” The plot focuses on the United States military coming in to clean up the aftermath of what is presumed to be an eradicated Rage Virus, but it’s discovered that it is very much active — and in fact, has grown even more potent.

Though we created a video that serves as the only recap you need before “28 Years Later,” we still recommend watching “28 Weeks Later” before checking out its sequel. Especially since it is currently available to stream on Hulu, as well as Tubi (with ads) for those that don’t have a Hulu subscription. 

While it actually took 18 years, we have finally gotten the long-discussed third installment in the “28 Days Later” franchise with “28 Years Later.” Chief among the reasons people have been so excited for the new movie are that it’s not only once again penned by Alex Garland, but Danny Boyle has returned to direct. Boyle has thus far only directed one sequel to a previous movie of his — “T2 Trainspotting” — so it’s a big deal indeed that he decided to step back behind the camera for “28 Years Later.”

But that’s not all that there is in store for the franchise. A spin-off entitled “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” has already been announced, and will be among the movies that will blow you away in 2026 when it hits in January of next year. That one will be written by Garland but directed by Nia DaCosta. 

Pending the response to and box office results of “28 Years Later,” Garland and Boyle will reteam once again to complete the planned “28 Years Later” sub-trilogy with its third entry. Cillian Murphy, who starred in “28 Days Later,” is confirmed to turn up at the end of “The Bone Temple” and star in the third film — if the audiences and money are there.