Why 28 Days Later Isn’t Streaming Anywhere

28 Days Later is easily one of the most influential horror films of the 21st century and a beloved classic. Yet, many people who want to watch the movie for Halloween will find themselves disappointed. Despite being directed by Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle and featuring the most recent Best Actor winner, Cillian Murphy, 28 Days Later is not available to stream on any digital platform and is also unavailable for purchase on home video. However, one can still easily view the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later. How does one of the most well-regarded zombie films, one that changed the genre, become unavailable?

It appears that 28 Days Later rights were caught in limbo between original studio distributor 20th Century Pictures, their new owners, Disney, and the original film producers who seemingly took the franchise to a competing studio. With news of a third entry in the franchise, 28 Years Later, finally making news, this might hint that 28 Days Later will be available again in the near future. But for now, why is 28 Days Later so difficult to get ahold of?

28 Days Later Has Been Unavailable for Years

In 2022, many fans noted that 28 Days Later was not available to stream. This was particularly odd as 28 Days Later was released by Searchlight Pictures, which has since become part of the Walt Disney Corporation following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox back in 2019. 28 Days Later was available on Hulu briefly, but it has since been removed from the service. Since 28 Days Later was released by Searchlight Pictures, Disney should theoretically own the rights to it and its 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which was released through a defunct Fox label, Fox Atomic.

Now, plenty of films aren’t available on a streaming service. Still, when that is the case, they are often available for digital purchase on paid video-on-demand services like Fandango, Amazon Prime, or AppleTV. Yet 28 Days Later was not even available for sale. Even fans who might want to try and acquire a physical copy of the movie will find themselves out of luck as both the Blu-ray and DVD of 28 Days Later are out of print. Being unavailable to watch on streaming, PVOD, or even physical media is a rarity nowadays, particularly for one of the most beloved horror films ever.

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It was even more glaring considering 2022 was the film’s 20th-anniversary release in the UK, and 2023 would have been the 20th anniversary of its United States release. Despite that, no special addition 4K Blu-ray and home video release was announced, nor were there even special theatrical screenings. It appears that 28 Days Later‘s absence on digital and physical media was due to rights issues and the plans for the franchise’s future.

Fox Lost the Rights to 28 Days Later… But Not 28 Weeks Later

It appears that part of the reason 28 Days Later is not streaming is that Disney lost its rights. 28 Days Later was financed independently and then acquired by Searchlight Pictures, so they seemingly did not control the ownership of the movie. In 2024, the film’s producer, Andrew Macdonald, reacquired the rights to 28 Days Later. He has since sold them to Sony Pictures in exchange for Sony producing the next film in the franchise, 28 Years Later. This meant that for about two years, 28 Days Later had no home for streaming or even a distributor for new home video releases.

While Macdonald acquired the rights to 28 Days Later, Disney still owns the rights to 28 Weeks Later since 20th Century Fox funded and released it. In the United States, it was distributed through the Fox Atomic label, a short-lived brand that 20th Century Fox set up to release genre and comedy films. The 28 Days Later brand seemed a better fit for that than the more awards-friendly Searchlight Pictures. Because Disney still maintains the rights to 28 Weeks Later, it is unclear how much of that film will be referenced in the upcoming 28 Years Later.

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28 Years Later will see 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and star Cillian Murphy return. The cast also includes Aaron Taylor Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Erin Kellyman, Jack O’Connell, and Edvin Ryding. 28 Years Later is set for release on June 20, 2025. Sony Pictures plans for 28 Years Later to kick off a new trilogy for them, and a sequel is already finished. The second film, which while not officially announced according to a United States Copyright Office document, will be titled 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple and will be directed by Nia DaCosta, who previously helmed 2021’s Candyman and 2023’s The Marvels. No release date is set, but the film reportedly just finished filming, so it likely could arrive in theaters in 2026. No date or director has been attached to the third film, but this seemingly bodes well for 28 Days Later fans.

28 Days Later Might Be Available Next Year in Time for 28 Years Later

With 28 Years Later set for release in June 2025, that likely suggests Sony Pictures has big plans for the original film to get audiences excited and prepared for the long-awaited third entry. Sony Pictures is heavily invested in physical media, as Sony is, first and foremost, a technology company that also owns a film studio. This suggests they will likely release 28 Days Later on home video and make it available for purchase on video rental sites.

In 2023, author Chris Bumbray noted on the site JoBlo Movies that 28 Days Later, getting a 4K release does pose some issues. While it might be possible that the film could undergo a 4K conversion with how much digital technology has increased, the fact is that 28 Days Later‘s grimy aesthetic was baked into it from its conception. Bumbray notes that:

“The simple fact is, by virtue of being shot digitally, with 2003-era cameras, the movie’s maximum resolution is 1080p.
28 Days Later
is in a similar boat. It was one of the first films to be shot digitally. Indeed, the camera it was shot on, the Cannon XL-1, has a standard definition resolution of 720×576. That’s why the movie looks pretty much the same on DVD as on Blu-ray, as you’re just watching an upconversion.”

Meanwhile, as for where 28 Days Later will land on streaming, that is a different story. Unlike many other studios, Sony Pictures does not own a direct streaming service. If Universal Pictures releases a movie or owns the rights to a title, there is a good chance it will end up on Peacock while still being licensed to another streaming service. Disney tends to keep all its titles on its services, such as Disney+ or Hulu. Sony Pictures, meanwhile, tends to sell its streaming rights. Netflix is the most likely candidate as starting in 2021, the streaming service struck a first-look deal with Sony Pictures. This likely means that not only will 28 Years Later stream on Netflix, but the original film 28 Days Later will as well.

Regardless of whether a 4K Blu-ray is released or what streaming service 28 Days Later lands on, fans would be more than happy to have the option of owning or watching 28 Days Later in any format, and any home video release is better than none. After nearly three years of 28 Days Later being nearly impossible to watch unless one already owned a physical copy, it might finally be coming home. Hopefully, next Halloween, everyone can enjoy 28 Days Later.