Nia DaCosta's highly anticipated horror-thriller, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," has successfully dethroned James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" from its four-week reign at the domestic box office. On its opening day Friday, the fourth installment in Sony's enduring zombie franchise, and a direct sequel to last summer’s "28 Years Later," grossed an impressive $5.6 million from 3,506 North American theaters. Projections indicate that "The Bone Temple" is set to earn an estimated $15 million over the extended four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

The film, penned by franchise mastermind Alex Garland, features a compelling cast including Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams, as they navigate the perilous British countryside while battling the deadly Rage Virus. Critical reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with the film garnering "rave reviews" and an "A-" from CinemaScore, a particularly rare achievement within the horror genre. While "The Bone Temple" had a slightly higher production cost of $63 million compared to its predecessor's $60 million, its opening performance suggests a strong commercial run. The last installment, helmed by "28 Days Later" director Danny Boyle, notably opened to $30 million over a traditional three-day frame and concluded its theatrical run with $70 million domestically and $150 million worldwide.

Falling to the second spot, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" secured $3.2 million on its fifth Friday in North American theaters. Despite losing its immediate box office crown, the third "Avatar" film by James Cameron is still expected to add approximately $17 million through the MLK holiday frame, pushing its domestic gross to an estimated $367 million by Monday. Industry analysts anticipate "Fire and Ash" will extend its winning streak through the weekend, reclaiming the No. 1 position for a fifth consecutive week, following the precedent set by its predecessors, "Avatar" and "The Way of Water," both of which held the top spot for seven consecutive weeks.

Elsewhere in the domestic box office landscape, Lionsgate's thriller "The Housemaid" showed remarkable staying power, landing in third place with an additional $2.5 million on Friday. With an estimated domestic earning of $109 million through the holiday frame against a modest $35 million production budget, the film's success has already spurred plans for a sequel, with star Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig confirmed to return.

Disney’s animated sequel, "Zootopia 2," continued to exhibit astounding staying power, securing the fourth spot with $1.9 million domestically on Friday. Released in November, the film is projected to achieve a four-day gross of $12 million through MLK Day, which would elevate its North American total to an impressive $393 million.

Rounding out the top five, A24’s "Marty Supreme" claimed fifth place with an estimated $1.6 million domestically on Friday, with its total domestic gross expected to reach around $80 million by Monday. Meanwhile, Paramount’s "Primate," a monkey horror film, took sixth place on its second Friday, pulling in $1.4 million. The film had a solid opening last weekend, grossing $13.4 million worldwide against a $21 million budget, and is expected to reach $6.2 million domestically by Monday.

Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean drama "Hamnet" also made headlines as it expanded to 718 North American locations after a limited release. The film, which had already earned $13 million during its initial rollout, added another $370,000 on Friday and is projected to bring in $1.6 million through the MLK Day weekend.