Horror Hit "28 Years Later" Sets Streaming Date

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodi Comer and Ralph Fiennes’ hit horror thriller "28 Years Later" is coming to digital streaming this week.

The third film in the horror film franchise that began with "28 Days Later" in 2002, "28 Years Later" reunites the original film’s director, Danny Boyle, and its screenwriter, Alex Garland. The film was released in theaters on June 20.

The official logline for "28 Years Later" reads, “It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.”

According to a listing on Prime Video, "28 Years Later" will be released on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, July 29.

When it is released, "28 Years Later" will also be available on several digital platforms, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home and YouTube. 

The film is still playing in theaters. So far, "28 Years Later" has earned $70 million domestically and $80 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $150 million. The film had a $60 million production before prints and advertising costs, per The Numbers.

While those who have the Rage Virus in "28 Years Later" have zombie-like qualities, Danny Boyle insisted in an interview with TIME Magazine before the film’s release in theaters that the antagonists are not zombies.

“We had this thing about, ‘No, they’re not zombies. They’re infected,’” Boyle told TIME. “We wanted them to behave in a different way physically, but they also weren’t undead. They could die and they will die, but so will you if they catch you.”

In "28 Years Later", Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character, Jamie, takes his 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams), to the mainland where the infected roam over the objections of his wife and the boy’s mother, Isla (Jodie Comer). The trip to the mainland is a rite of passage where the younger people sheltered by their island community learn to hunt the infected.

Bold told TIME that part of the storyline was influenced by the coronavirus pandemic.

“When COVID first happened, we wore gloves, we disinfected groceries,” Boyle told TIME. “But gradually over time, you start taking more risks. You don’t stay in that super alert stage. You evolve. And so it is in 28 Years. They begin to take risks. Jamie takes his 12-year-old son to the mainland even though, as the mom says, that’s f---ing crazy.”

Rated R, "28 Years Later" — which is executive produced by 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy — is new on PVOD on Tuesday.