20 Upcoming Horror Movies That Could Save Franchises

2. 28 Years Later Part III

Quality-wise, the 28 Days Later franchise is doing just fine, though things are looking considerably shakier on the business end of things after 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was a surprise flop at the start of the year.

Ostensibly, The Bone Temple paid for the sins of its somewhat polarising predecessor, whose left-field ending apparently left many with little interest to return for a sequel mere months later. But The Bone Temple's secret weapon is that its ending set up the belated reintroduction of original protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy), who will seemingly play a lead role in the planned third 28 Years Later.

While Sony is reportedly still mulling over whether they're going to produce Part III at all after The Bone Temple flopped, their ability to feature Cillian Murphy in the marketing this time around will surely make it a far easier sell with general audiences. And above all else, Murphy's involvement has a good chance of winning back a sizable portion of the casual fanbase, in turn potentially leaving the door open for more sequels.