Nia DaCosta hits out as 'Bone Temple' box office flops despite rave reviews

Nia DaCosta has admitted she was left frustrated after 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple underperformed at the box office, despite strong reviews and audience praise. 

The 36-year-old filmmaker said she was “disappointed” that commercial success didn’t match the buzz around the post-apocalyptic sequel starring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell and Alfie Williams.

Speaking to Empire magazine, she said every industry metric pointed to success. 

“It’s funny, all the barometers were through the roof,” she said. 

Despite the disappointment, she insisted she is proud of the film and believes viewers discovering it later will still enjoy it. 

She also reflected on advice from a friend that her career should be something she enjoys, rather than being defined purely by box office results.

DaCosta, who also directed The Marvels, said audience reactions can feel emotionally bruising, especially online, where filmmakers often become a distorted “avatar” rather than being seen as real people. 

She explained that criticism and opinion cycles can be hard to separate from reality once a film is released.

She also suggested the rapid release schedule after 28 Years Later may have confused audiences, with some mistakenly thinking they had already seen the sequel. 

“Maybe it was too soon,” she admitted, adding that the marketing timing could have worked against the film’s performance.

Despite the setback, DaCosta said she remains proud of her work, including Hedda, and would return to comic-book filmmaking if given full creative control. 

She said autonomy is key to her process and insisted she would take on another big franchise project “absolutely”  but only under the right conditions where she can protect her vision.

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