5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Budget: $15,000,000. Worldwide Box Office: $377,910,544
Danny Boyle has had much success in his past, with many knowing him for such work as Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. However, Slumdog Millionaire would have been seen as a step in a different direction, a shift in focus from Boyle and despite his incredibly loyal fan base, Slumdog was never expected to reach the heights it ultimately would. With a relatively unknown cast, especially to worldwide audiences, the film was an enormous success both critically and commercially. While Danny Boyle picked up the Academy Award for Best director, the film went on to make a colossal $377 million worldwide. The films success was largely attributed to it being a sleeper hit, meaning that rather than its box office takings decreasing week to week; they were slowly increasing due to word of mouth. The message the film contained gave the film the tagline The feel good film of the year and while this may be slightly false due to some of the more violent scenes within the movie, the films ultimate message resonated with audiences and allowed the film to be incredibly successful.
Other notable 2008 hits:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Budget: $15,000,000. Worldwide Box Office: $96,408,652