From 18 to 20 April, the biggest earners at the local box office are the usual
suspects… heroes fighting evil, courageous warriors battling the elements and
dark forces, wild boys in fast cars and an action hero that only seems to get
better with time. Audiences also had time to squeeze in a bit of love, as
escapism is the flavour of the month at the movies.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
With a devoted following and a cast comprising favourites such as Chris Evans
(Steve Rogers / Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett
Johansson (Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow), Robert Redford (Alexander
Pierce), Sebastian Stan Stan (Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier), Captain America:
The Winter Soldier was always going to be a global success.
After four weeks on circuit, Ster-Kinekor’s release has earned R12 910 202
during a sluggish time for movies at the South African box office.
Internationally, Captain America and his fellow Avengers also dominate with
figures now reaching US$400m. It seems the movie’s tagline, “In Heroes We
Trust’ has paid off handsomely for Marvel Studios.
Rio 2
Times Media Films’ Rio 2 (including 3D) continues to delight audiences after two
weeks of nationwide release and the cast’s feathery antics have raked in R9
656 775 locally, leading to winged amounts of pleasure for Twentieth Century
Fox Animation with international takings of US$250m.
Noah
Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, with its big-star pulling power and with the tagline
“rediscover the epic story of one man and the most remarkable event in our
history,’ have local audiences flocking to see Russell Crowe play the hero again.
After three weeks Times Media Films’ release has taken R9 656 775 while
internationally Aronofsky’s film has earned US$93 274 000, which is below
budget, but performing better than critics had predicted.
Need for Speed
It seems that fast cars and the need for speed is a winning formula. Although
DreamWorks SKG and Reliance Entertainment’s Need for Speed has not-so-
subtle references to the international hit franchise Fast & Furious, actors Aaron
Paul and Dominic Cooper are holding their own in the driver’s seat as they race
to spectacular local earnings of R12 367 991 after five weeks and 40 prints at
the local box office, but did not perform as well as expected internationally.
The Legend of Hercules
The Legend of Hercules, released by Crystal Brook Entertainment fared relatively
well during its opening weekend with 52 prints and taking R1 016 627
nationwide, but Kellan Lutz’s Greek hero did not hold as strong worldwide as his
mortal counterparts.
Non-Stop
After decades of being the hero in various guises in countless productions such
as Taken, Taken 2, Rob Roy, Schindler’s List, Star Wars and many more, Liam
Neeson remains one of the most bankable actors in the history of film and
shows no sign of slowing down.
In Times Media Films’ release Non-Stop he teams up with equally strong star
power Julianne Moore and with supporting roles from Scoot McNairy, Michelle
Dockery and Lupita Nyong’o the movie took R3 149 941 nationwide after two
weeks with 70 prints. It remains a firm crowd favourite for audiences who prefer
their heroes made of flesh and blood.
Konfetti
Locally made, romantic comedy Konfetti, produced and directed by Zaheer
Goodman-Bhyat and written by Louw Venter, took R818 521 with a print run of
34 nationwide during its opening weekend. It seems love is in the air…
The Forgotten Kingdom
With only 10 prints and two weeks in circulation, The Forgotten Kingdom, a truly
heroic film, released by Indigenous Film Distribution, fought bravely for its R164
463 in earnings.
