More than two decades after its release, fan-favorite zombie movie 28 Days Later is set to arrive on digital platforms this week.
Because nothing says Christmas like zombies, right?
The news comes after the trailer for the upcoming sequel, 28 Years Later, became not only the most watched horror trailer of the year with 60.2 million global views in 24 hours, but also the second biggest trailer of all-time behind It Chapter Two, which racked up 96 million views, according to figures from WaveMetrix and cited by Deadline.
Those numbers don't even include views the trailer has received on TikTok, where millions more fans are excited for the release of the upcoming movie.
Cillian Murphy is set to return to the role of Jim - whose zombie corpse does NOT feature in the new trailer - with Danny Boyle once again in the director's chair and screenwriter Alex Garland back to pen the script.
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The movie is set to arrive next year, 23 years after the original and 18 years after the first sequel, 28 Weeks Later, but fans will soon be able to make the wait feel shorter by re-watching the original film online.
Unfortunately 28 Days Later is not available to stream on platforms like Netflix or Amazon, meaning fans instead have previously had to revert to the technology of the day: the DVD.
"in need of a 28 days later rewatch but it’s not on streaming," one frustrated fan wrote on Twitter recently, while another added: "Why is 28 days later not streaming anywhere im so sad."
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But following the huge response to the 28 Years Later trailer, Sony has decided to release the original movie for digital purchase and rental from December 18.
The news was announced on the official Instagram page for 28 Years Later, with a poster reading: "28 Days Later: Buy or Rent on Digital Wednesday."
The caption added: "The days are numbered. Mark your calendar, #28DaysLater will be available to buy or rent on Digital starting Wednesday."
The announcement prompted a flood of praise from fans, with one excited person writing: "FINALLY! I had to buy it on DVD lol."
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"Shouldn’t have taken this long for it to be available digitally but better late than never," added another.
Other fans are still calling for the movie to be put on streaming, but while the digital release might not quite offer the access streaming subscribers might have been hoping for, it's definitely a huge step forwards from having to dust off the old DVD player!
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix
Emily Brown