The 2002 Danny Boyle and Alex Garland film28 Days Laterundeniably changed the zombie horror genre forever, yet it’s still surprisingly hard to find. This post-apocalyptic zombie flick featured Cillian Murphy’s breakout role and was the first to successfully re-imagine the classic George A. Romero slow-walkers, creatingunconventional and terrifyingly fast zombies. The film further redefined tropes with the use of a final boy rather than a final girl, as well as theRage virus outbreak sourcekilling andreanimating the living into the Infected, as opposed to only taking effect on the dead.
28 Days Laterreceived the 2003 “Best Horror Film” Saturn Award along with an array of other accolades, as well as an impressive worldwide box office gross of $82,719,885. It’s since reached iconic status, and the film boasts an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. With this amount of critical acclaim, it’s worth wondering why it’s so hard to watch.
28 Days Later Is Currently Not Streaming Anywhere
Disney originally lost the rights to the movie in 2002, and Sony never bothered to arrange a new deal with any third-party streaming service to make the first film available again. Strangely enough, due to the fact thatthe original film’s 2007 sequel28 Weeks Laterwas financed by Searchlight Pictures,Disney wound upkeeping the rights to the sequelin a roundabout way. This came down to Searchlight being a subsidiary of Fox, which Disney bought out back in March 2019.
Needless to say, being able to stream the sequel but not the original film in the now-trilogy is immensely frustrating, especially in light of the recent news of the28 Years Latertheatrical release date in June 2025. But long before the days of streaming, there were other (and in retrospect, perhaps more reliable) movie-watching methodologies at our disposal - DVDs, for one.
28 Day Later Is Not Available Through Physical Media Retailers Either
Disney Stopped Producing Hard Copies
Unfortunately, buying hard copies from a physical media retailer is also no longer an option for this, the Ark of the Covenant of zombie movies.28 Days Laterwas pulled from production because of yet more rights issues, asDisney stopped producing hard copies of the original DVD.
8 Things 28 Years Later’s Trailer Reveals About What Happened After The Last Movie
28 Years Later’s trailer reveals several shocking changes from the franchise’s last movie that add to the mystery and horror of the Rage Virus.
The only way to obtain a copy at this point in time is to buy one secondhand – frequently for a casual $150-$200 for its out-of-print novelty. Those who are brave enough to search may choose to plumb the depths of second-hand shops or troll through sites like eBay, Amazon, or Facebook Marketplace – butsoon, there will be an easier way to watch28 Days Later.
28 Days Later Will Soon Have A Streaming Home
Sony Has Regained The Rights
Upon dropping achilling trailer for28 Years Lateron December 10th, Sony announced (in an admittedly peculiar way) thatthe original movie would be available for streamingat some point before the June 2025 theatrical release of the 3rd film. Apparently, producer Andrew MacDonald bought back the rights to28 Days Laterback in February before turning around and selling them to Sony in anticipation of the upcoming release.
28 Years Later Trailer Zombie Is Not Cillian Murphy
Despite the rumors that have arisen since the trailer’s release, a report that the zombie in the 28 Years Later trailer is not Cillian Murphy.
Sony now has a link available where you canregister to be updated once28 Days Lateris made available in digital formatagain. It is unclear whether this means the movie will be available for streaming, asthe website mentions pre-ordering the film. The registration is also vague, providing no detail whatsoever on when this change will occur. Either way, having28 Days Lateraccessible again – preferably before the release of the 3rd movie next summer! – is a welcome change for zombie horror fans everywhere.
28 Days Later
Cast
28 Days Later depicts a post-apocalyptic Britain devastated by a virulent outbreak. Directed by Danny Boyle, it follows a group of London survivors as they navigate the chaos caused by a rapidly spreading virus, transmitted by humans and animals, that transforms the infected into dangerous beings. Released in 2002.
