In this age of streaming and on demand services, many people have ditched the DVD collections that were taking up space in their house.
However, it’s a myth to think that you can always watch any movie you want online at any time. Some films, even well-known ones, periodically disappear from sites like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime, meaning that you can end up frustrated and unable to find it.
One film that’s being searched for a lot on streaming sites at the moment is the iconic 2000s British zombie movie 28 Days Later, as buzz about the new sequel 28 Years Later reached fever pitch this week. However, people hunting out 28 Days Later were left disappointed as it isn’t available to stream online, reports Unilad.
The critically-acclaimed movie, overseen by Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, stars Cillian Murphy as a bike courier living in London who wakes up from a coma to find the streets of the capital deserted. There has been a zombie apocalypse while he was sleeping, due to the release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing “rage virus.”
However, if you want to watch it you’re out of luck – unless you own a physical copy. Disney lost the rights to the independently financed original film, hence why it’s not available online – and DVD and Blu-ray discs of the movie aren’t currently in production.
This scarcity, combined with the fact people are extremely hyped for long-awaited 2025 sequel 28 Years Later, is pushing up resale prices for the original 28 Days Later DVDs and Blu-rays.
At the time of writing, one special edition Blu-ray in new and sealed condition is being listed for £299 on eBay.
Also, a two-DVD bundle of 28 Days Later and it’s first sequel, the 2007 film 28 Weeks Later, is being offered for starting bids of £200.
However, if you do have one of these DVDs or Blu-rays, you might have to act fast as a recent announcement from Sony – who has bought the rights to the franchise – might see their rarity plummet.
Eagle-eyed social media users have spotted that 28 Days Lateris being primed for a digital release, however there’s no date set as yet. This means it’ll available to purchase online, and possibly could also join one of the streaming services.
The move to re-release 28 Days Later digitally follows in the footsteps of the trailer for 28 Years Later, which dropped this week and instantly went viral.
The trailer has been hailed as one of the ‘best in years’ by fans, according to The Mirror, with many branding it “chilling'” It begins with a group of young children watching Teletubbies when a panicked adult rushes in the room and demands they “sit still, keep quiet and do not move”, before blood is seen splattering across the TV.
People were also stunned to spot an emaciated-looking Jim (Cillian Murphy) rising up from a field, apparently having fallen victim to the rage virus.
Adding to the intensely haunting, creepy atmosphere is the truly spooky 1903 war poem that acts as the trailer’s soundtrack.
“Boots” was originally written by English author and poet Rudyard Kipling and captures the relentless march of soldiers during the Boer War. The recording in the trailer was made over a hundred years ago, in 1915, and is read by an actor called Taylor Holmes.
However, although 28 Days Later isn’t currently available to stream, the good news is the sequel 28 Weeks Later is currently available on Disney+ with a premium subscription. It can also be rented digitally via YouTube, Apple TV, Sky Store and Amazon Prime.
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