6. Sunshine
Budget: $40,000,000 Worldwide Box Office: $32,017,803
A year before Danny Boyle became recognised globally for his multiple Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire; he directed this sci-fi drama Sunshine starring Cillian Murphy. The basic premise of the film is that the sun is dying and a team of astronauts are sent into space in order to re-ignite it using a nuclear device, with Boyle perfectly replicating the enormity and consequences that the mission has. Sunshine is a colossal undertaking by Boyle and his vision is perfectly imitated through the strength of the film and the characters. Our protagonist being the only one who is capable of setting of the nuclear device, is backed by a team willing to risk their lives in order to achieve what needs to be done. It provides an intriguing development and allows the viewer an opportunity to see the inner anguish Murphys character experiences while dealing with this knowledge. The film is also beautifully shot, mixing a vibrant palette of bright yellows and oranges, to the darkened tones of greys and blacks, presenting its core content of danger convincingly. It is certainly Boyles most ambitiously shot film and that takes influence from Kubricks 2001: Space Odyssey and Tarkovskys Polaris, with the alienating imagery providing a grace and awe that is sorely lacking in many blockbusters today. Off a fairly large budget of $40 million, Sunshine performed reasonably poorly when released; only generating $32 million worldwide. Despite Boyles cult status at the time, with films such as Trainspotting and the 28 Days series, expectations would have certainly been higher than the films ultimate box office total.