How to watch ’28 Days Later’ in the UK
Danny Boyle's 2002 film, starring Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, is a beloved classic of modern British cinema
by Max Pilley · NMEDanny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is one of the most celebrated classics of modern horror cinema, but where can UK viewers watch the film? Read on for all the info.
The 2002 film was written by Alex Garland, who went on to pen the screenplays for films such as Sunshine, Dredd and Never Let Me Go, and eventually direct Ex Machina, Annihilation and Civil War.
Boyle followed up his work on Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach, and was credited for reinvigorating the zombie genre, even if the creatures in the film are not technically the undead.
The film is set amid an outbreak of a high contagious, aggression-inducing virus, with society having broken down. Cillian Murphy stars as Jim, a bicycle courier who fell into a coma before the outbreak and wakes to find London seemingly entirely deserted. Naomie Harris plays a chemist with supreme determination to survive, and the two decide to travel to Manchester with cab driver Brendan Gleeson and his daughter Megan Burns.
The film spawned a sequel 28 Weeks Later in 2007, and a third film 28 Years Later has reportedly been shot now, entirely on a mobile phone, with a provisional release date of June 2025. Boyle and Murphy have both returned for the film, which is projected to be the start of a new trilogy. Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson will co-star.
Speaking to NME in 2022 about a potential return to the franchise, Murphy said: “I think there’s a problem with that, in that I’m 20 years older… but every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it. Because I showed it to my kids recently, some Halloween about four or five years ago, and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.”
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Also speaking to NME in 2022, Boyle confirmed that Garland had written a script for a potential sequel to 28 Weeks Later called 28 Months Later with a “lovely idea” at the centre of it. “It feels like a very good time actually,” he continued. “It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it, and I remembered ‘Bang, this script!’ which is again set in England, very much about England.”
How to watch 28 Days Later in the UK
Despite being a beloved classic of modern British cinema, 28 Days Later is not actually available to stream or buy on any digital platform in the UK, as of November 2024.
Disney had owned the rights to the independently financed film, but lost them when Sony acquired the rights in anticipation of the upcoming sequels, leaving Disney with just the Searchlight-financed sequel. Sony have not yet made the film available, although it is likely that they will in some form before the release of 28 Years Later next year.
The film is, however, still available to buy in physical formats, including Blu-ray and DVD.