It turns out the device you carry in your pocket is more powerful than you think, especially when it comes to making movies. Imagine a major film hitting theaters, shot not with a huge cinema camera, but with a smartphone. That’s exactly what happened with the new movie “28 Years Later.” Its director, Danny Boyle, shared why he chose the iPhone 15 Pro Max for the job.
The film “28 Years Later” premiered in Portuguese cinemas on June 18. It also recently landed on Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV.
The story unfolds nearly three decades after a dangerous rage virus escaped a bioweapons lab. The world is still under strict quarantine, but some people have learned to live among the infected. One group of survivors lives on a small island. It’s connected to the mainland by a single, heavily guarded path. When a group member leaves the island for a mission into the mainland’s dark heart, they uncover shocking secrets. These discoveries change everything, not just for the infected, but for other survivors too.
Building a Cinema-Worthy Movie with Up to 20 iPhones
Apple released a video where director Danny Boyle explained his decision. He chose to shoot parts of “28 Years Later” with an iPhone 15 Pro Max. This was instead of using traditional film cameras.
Boyle pointed out that the phones we carry can record 4K video. They can also capture over 60 frames per second. He said these features make them “perfect for cinema release.”
The filmmaker added that the iPhone’s light weight was a big plus. It let his team work in far-off places with ease. They could move quickly and cause very little disruption.
We wanted our landscape to look untouched by humans for 28 years.
Using iPhones also allowed the team to create “really cool” setups. Some of these rigs used up to 20 iPhones at once.
The director shared that the devices are light enough to carry a whole setup to a location. This allowed them to capture the horror, brutality, and violence in the movie. The film is about two hours long. On IMDB, it holds a 7/10 star rating as of July 31, 2025.