British horror movie 28 Days Later is credited with reinvigorating the zombie movie genre, and the series itself mutated to the point where 2025’s 28 Years Later brought a touch of hope to an otherwise dystopian world. To see how the series has progressed for yourself, here’s our guide on how to watch every 28 Days Later movie in order.

28 Days Later in order: How to watch every 28 Days Later movie in release order

• 28 Days Later (2002)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

The films in the 28 Days Later franchise aren’t numbered, but you can use their titles to figure out their release order. Each title refers to the amount of time that has passed since the outbreak of the Rage Virus, which transforms people into mindless zombies. For example, 28 Days Later takes place… well… 28 days after the outbreak. Likewise, 28 Weeks Later takes place 28 weeks later, and 28 Years Later… You get the idea.

That there are multiple 28 Years Later movies, with a third in development, complicates matters somewhat, but 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a fairly direct sequel to the subtitle-less 28 Years Later.

28 Days Later in order: How to watch every 28 Days Later movie in chronological order

• 28 Days Later (2002)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

28 Days Later is one of the easiest franchises to watch in chronological order, as for the most part each film’s title tells us its place in the chronology. (The one complication in that theory is two movies using the 28 Years Later title.) In addition, the franchise’s chronological order is the same as the release order, making the timeline easy to navigate.

When do the 28 Days Later movies take place?

There is some confusion on what year 28 Days Later takes place in. The movie makes no explicit reference to its time setting, leading fans to speculate on multiple possibilities, with three suggestions: 1997, 2002, and 2006:

• 1997 - This is a fan theory based on the 28 Years Later movies, which reference multiple late 1990s UK cultural artifacts, including Tony Blair being Prime Minister (he was elected to that position in May 1997) and Teletubbies being on television in 28 Years Later's opening flashback. This would, notably, place 28 Years Later in 2025, making it contemporaneous with its release.
• 2002 - This fan theory is very simple; the movie took place in the year it was released.
• 2006 - This fan theory is based on a prop from 2007's 28 Weeks Later, which reports on the outbreak of the Rage Virus. This prop newspaper is dated September 10, 2006. This would, notably, place 28 Weeks Later in 2007, making it contemporaneous with its release.

Given the movies' repeated refusal to outright tie themselves to a specific calendar year, it's likely there will never be a definitive answer to when exactly 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, and 28 Years Later actually occur.

Where do the 28 Days Later comics fit in the timeline?

Those looking for more 28 Days Later need to look beyond the films. BOOM! Studios and Fox Atomic Comics published comic books from 2007 through 2011 which expand on the film’s lore, giving us more stories of life after the Rage Virus outbreak.

28 Days Later: The Aftermath is a 2007 graphic novel from Fox Atomic Comics that bridges the gap between the first two films. 28 Days Later is a 24-issue series that BOOM! Studios published between 2009 and 2011, primarily set around the time period of 28 Weeks Later.

There are some inconsistencies between the comics and films - for example, the BOOM! Studios comic implies that Jim was executed, but Cillian Murphy appears as the character in the end of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - so the comics should be supplementary to the movie continuity. For those who wish to include them in their own personal chronologies, there is some ambiguity over his execution in the comics, leaving wiggle room for his potential survival.

Here’s a brief timeline detailing how the 28 Days Later comics fit in with the films:

• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Stage 1: Development)
• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Stage 2: Outbreak)
• 28 Days Later (2002 film)
• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Stage 3: Decimation)
• 28 Days Later #1-21
• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Stage 4: Quarantine)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007 film)/28 Days Later #22-24
  
  

What is the fifth film in the 28 Days Later series?

An untitled fifth film is currently in pre-production, with Alex Garland serving as screenwriter and Danny Boyle returning as director. No release date has been announced, but reports have suggested that an early 2027 shoot is expected, which would suggest a release in late 2027 or 2028. This movie is officially being considered the final chapter of the 28 Years Later trilogy, according to filmmakers, with a rumored appearance by Cillian Murphy also tying it to the original 28 Days Later.

Where can I watch the 28 Days Later series?

As of writing, the entire 28 Days Later franchise, from the original movie through 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, are available to rent or purchase through on-demand services but are not available as part of a streaming subscription.

For those looking to rent or buy digitally, Prime Video links for each movie can be found below:

• Rent or Buy: 28 Days Later (2002)
• Rent or Buy: 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• Rent or Buy: 28 Years Later (2025)
• Rent or Buy: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

28 Days Later FAQs

Is 28 Days Later or 28 Weeks Later scarier?

Fear is subjective, so there’s no scientific method for determining which film is the scariest. However, going through Reddit threads, social media posts, and online editorials, 28 Days Later is commonly referred to as the scarier film. Viewers cite the first film’s pacing, and say that the lower budget made it feel less polished and “less Hollywood,” making the atmosphere scarier. Plus, there was more worldbuilding, and what a world they built. Characters were hacking their loved ones to death out of fear that they could be infected. Plus, I’ll never forget the way those zombies moved.

Of course, your mileage may vary. And to be fair, both films are pretty scary.

Do you need to watch 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later before 28 Years Later?

Yes. While it is possible to watch 28 Years Later without watching either 28 Days Later or 28 Weeks Later, viewers who skipped the earlier movies would miss important context about the Rage Virus and the impact it's had on the rest of the United Kingdom and beyond. 

Moreover, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a direct sequel to 28 Years Later, and ends with an explicit callback to the original 28 Days Later movie. Ignoring any earlier movies would mean the viewer wouldn't fully comprehend the climax of the movie.

Was 28 Days Later banned or unavailable?

28 Days Later was never outright banned, but it was difficult to buy for a time because of some complicated film rights issues.

The film was produced by DNA Films and UK Film Council and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, Fox Searchlight Pictures came with that, giving them the rights to 28 Days Later. Shortly thereafter, 28 Days Later producer Andrew MacDonald purchased the rights back from Disney. MacDonald then sold the rights to Sony Pictures, the studio behind the sequel, 28 Years Later.

This put 28 Days Later in a bit of legal limbo, and for a time the film wasn’t available to purchase or stream. After years of being unavailable, Sony Pictures made 28 Days Later available to rent and purchase digitally on a variety of video-on-demand platforms.

The only thing scarier than zombies is complicated intellectual property rights.

Why did Danny Boyle not direct 28 Weeks Later?

Danny Boyle is the director behind 28 Days Later, and he’s returning to direct the third film in the franchise, 28 Years Later. This has caused some viewers to wonder why he skipped the second film, 28 Weeks Later. According to interviews done during the film’s production, Boyle was unavailable because he was working on the 2007 film Sunshine.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo signed in to direct in his place, and Boyle was given an executive producer credit. However, Boyle would say in interviews that his executive producer credit was merely ceremonial, and he had very little involvement in the final film.

Was 28 Years Later filmed on iPhone?

Yes, 28 Years Later was filmed using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to a report from Wired, the iPhone had special lens attachments to enhance the picture. Other scenes of the film were shot using drones and other traditional film cameras.

Now you have everything you need to watch the 28 Days Later franchise. Grab your popcorn, lock your doors, keep the lights off, and beware of the infected.

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