Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland released the ghastly, groundbreaking, and genre-disrupting 28 Days Later way back in 2002, followed by 28 Weeks Later in 2007. Now, over two decades later, the duo is back with 28 Years Later. And it's a doozy.
As the name suggests, 28 Years Later is set 28 years after the events of the first two films. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and newcomer Alfie Williams and delivers a whole new dose of devastating dystopia on a zombie-laden planet. Plus, it creatively used iPhones to film a majority of the horrifying sequences. Mashable's Shannon Connellan called it "one of the most unrelenting and scariest films of the year" in her review. And now it's coming to the small screen.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch 28 Years Later at home — including when and where it's streaming and how you can watch for less.
What is 28 Years Later about?
28 Years Later follows a family living in a very small community on an island off the coast of England. It's a fortified pocket of humanity away from the Rage Virus-infected mainland and only accessible via a heavily defended causeway on low tide. As a rite of passage, dad Jamie (Taylor-Johnson) takes his 12-year-old son Spike (Williams) to the mainland to see remnants of society and make his first kill. Spike finds out there's a doctor living on the mainland and ventures off with his chronically ill mother, Isla (Comer), in search of a cure.
Of course, it's no easy venture through post-apocalypse Britain. Not to mention, they discover that the Rage Virus has evolved.
Check out the very intense trailer below:
Is 28 Years Later worth watching?
Bringing in $145.8 million at the worldwide box office, 28 Years Later became just the third horror movie of 2025 to surpass the $100 million mark (behind Sinners and Final Destination: Bloodlines). And impressively, most of the reviews coming out of the theater are positive. It currently holds an 88 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 63 percent audience rating. Mashable's own reviewer raved about it, calling it "a triumphant return" and "one of the scariest movies of the year."
"Boyle and Garland, with their impeccably talented team and a magnificent cast — led by the young and wondrous Williams — manage to both connect their original creation with the present and forge a terrifying new landscape, one that will stress you out and make a meal of your own fingernails," Connellan writes.
Zombie apocalypse films are so back, y'all.
Read our full review of 28 Years Later.
How to watch 28 Years Later at home
As of July 29, there are two ways you can watch 28 Years Later at home: buy it or rent it on digital for as low as $19.99. However, if you wait a couple of months, it will also be available to stream on Netflix. See the details below.
Buy or rent it on digital
28 Years Later is available as of July 29 to buy for $24.99 or rent for $19.99 at digital-on-demand retailers. Make note that if you choose to rent, you'll only get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it, then it's yours to keep.
Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film:
Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Fandango at Home — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Stream it on Netflix (at a later date)
While we don't know when 28 Years Later will make its streaming debut, we do know that it will be on Netflix, given Sony Pictures and Netflix's agreement that gives the streamer first dibs. If other recent Sony Pictures films, Heart Eyes and Paddington in Peru, are any indication, we can make an educated guess that it will land on Netflix as early as September.
Since Netflix doesn't offer free trials (and since the platform cracked down on password sharing), you'll need your own Netflix subscription to stream 28 Years Later. Fortunately, Netflix has a few membership tiers; all three options will grant you access.
Watching Netflix with ads is the most affordable option — it'll run you $7.99 per month. If you don't want ads, your next-best choice is to sign up for Netflix Standard for $17.99 per month, which is quite the price jump. Finally, there's a third tier for new subscribers dubbed Netflix Premium. It'll cost you a jaw-dropping $24.99 per month and will let you watch on four household devices at once (as opposed to the other plans' two devices) in 4K Ultra HD + HDR with no ads.
The best Netflix deals
If you're lucky enough to be eligible for one of the deals below, you can score Netflix for free — or at least at a discount. Be sure to check the terms for more details and sign up before the deals end.
Best Netflix deal for T-Mobile customers
T-Mobile customers on most Go5G plans, as well as Experience Beyond and Experience More plans, get Netflix Standard with ads for free (reg. $7.99 per month) as long as their account is in good standing. You need to have two or more lines of any type of Go5G or Magenta plan or at least one line of Go5G Next, Go5G Plus, Magenta MAX, Experience More, or Experience Beyond in order to be eligible.
While the Netflix subscription is free for eligible customers, you'll have to manually activate it by logging into My.T-Mobile and selecting Manage add-ons. Once there, add Netflix in the Services section and you'll be prompted to either create a Netflix account or sign in to an existing one. T-Mobile will take care of your Netflix bill each month. Check out the terms and FAQs on the promo page.
Best Netflix deal for Verizon customers
As of December 2023, Verizon customers with myPlan can add a Netflix and HBO Max bundle (with ads) for just $10 per month ($6.99 per month in savings). That essentially gets you Netflix with ads for free. Eligible Verizon customers include those on the Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Ultimate plans. After enrolling in the promo, you'll have to complete the account setup separately for each service. Eligibility details, terms, and FAQs can be found on the Verizon support page.
Best Netflix deal for Xfinity customers
Last year, Comcast announced its Xfinity StreamSaver package, which includes Netflix Standard with ads ($7.99/month), Peacock Premium ($10.99/month), and Apple TV+ ($9.99/month). Essentially, current and new Xfinity Internet or TV customers can add the StreamSaver bundle to their existing services for only $15 per month. Typically $28.97 per month for all three, you'll save about $13.97 monthly.
