Meet 14-year-old who beat Pedro Pascal, Tom Cruise, Aamir Khan at the box office; recovered film's budget in just 3 days

Hindustan Times

13 hours ago

Jun 24, 2025 05:14 PM IST
The third week of June was a big one for films globally. In India, superstars like Aamir Khan and Dhanush were returning to the big screen in Sitaare Zameen Par and Kuberaa respectively. And in the West, Pixar's Elio was hitting the screens. Already, hits like Materialists and Mission: Impossible 8 were doing great numbers at the box office. Amid this, a niche horror film with a 14-year-old lead actor managed to upstage them all. Not only this, it recovered its budget in the opening weekend itself. Alfie Williams is the star of 28 Years Later.
Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later hit the cinemas this weekend. The horror survival thriller features accomplished actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, but the protagonist - a pre-teen boy - is played by 14-year-old newcomer Alfie Williams. The film broke the bank at the box office, earning $30 million over its opening weekend at the US box office and $60 million worldwide. This was the second-best collection for a film this weekend globally, behind only How to Train Your Dragon. 28 Years Later managed to even beat Pixar's highly anticipated animated feature, Elio, which earned just $36 million worldwide. Alfie Williams with Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes in a still from 28 Years Later.
But what was more impressive was how a film led by a 14-year-old upstaged not just these releases, but also Materialists (starring Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, and Dakota Johnson), which earned just $9 million over the weekend. Even Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning managed just $12 million over this weekend. However, both of these films are old releases. Mission: Impossible 8 had already earned over $500 million prior to this weekend. But Alfie Williams did manage to upstage one big star in a direct clash. Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par was also released this week and earned close to $12 million over the weekend. 28 Years Later's impressive box office feat
The third part of Danny Boyle's saga of the undead, 28 Years Later was made on a modest budget of $50 million. With its worldwide gross already past the $60 million mark, the film has recovered its budget in just three days. 28 Years Later is a sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, and also the first part of a planned trilogy. The next instalment - titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - brings back Alfie Williams and Cillian Murphy from 28 Days Later. It will release in 2026.