Directed and co-written by South African Neill Blomkamp, the locally shot sci-fi adventure District 9 made $37m in its opening weekend in the US. This is $7m more than the film’s budget.
Much hyped as it was produced by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame, District 9 has been generating rave reviews internationally and excellent word of mouth. The film opened in South Africa on 28 August.
In District 9, an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology
As on online marketing ploy, Sony Pictures created a false corporation website based on the one in the film. There have also been posters which read: “For Humans Only”.
The film looks like it could become South Africa’s first ever global blockbuster.
(Sources: Associated Content; www.boxoffice.com)
