The biggest local box office earners in August reinforce just how much cinema-goers
love a movie with a mission.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Proving everyone loves a band of misfit heroes, Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy,
directed and written by James Gunn, was the top earner at the box office this past
month, not only nationally but internationally too. Produced by Marvel Studios, the
film which stars firm favourites Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper amongst
others, has earned nearly US$500 million globally, cementing its position to become
Disney’s top film of the year. The superhero flick brought in R11 276 519 nationally in
four weeks since its release.
Sex Tape
With a title that leaves little to the imagination, Sex Tape features Jason Segel and
Cameron Diaz who play a bored married couple looking to spice things up by making
(you guessed it) a sex tape! The R-rated comedy received generally negative reviews
internationally but scores nationally in its opening week as the only new release in the
top 5. Distributed locally by Ster-Kinekor the film brought in R1 090 700 with 49
prints.
The Expendables 3
In its second week at SA cinemas, The Expendables 3 earned R992 972, a 38% drop
on the previous weeks R1 598 922, bringing total local gross earnings to R3 177 780
in two weeks since its release. With a star-studded cast including heavy-weight action
heroes Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Snipes, the film garnered a mere US$15.9
million in its opening weekend in the USA, a deadly decline on opening weekend
earnings of the previous two films with The Expendables 1 earning US$35 million in
its opening weekend in 2010 and The Expendables 2 raking in US$28 million in its
debut weekend in 2012. Critics have chopped it down to an online print leak just
three weeks before the film’s release.
Hercules
Paramount’s Hercules dropped four spots from the top at the local box office in the
final week of August. Starring Dwayne Johnson, and directed by Brett Ratner, the film
remodels the Greek myth presented in the classic comic book series. The film brought
in R868 019 in its third week at SA cinemas, a whopping 48% decrease since the
previous week. Hercules has captured R7 044 751 after three weeks on the local
circuit.
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, this family drama is described by
critics as both “feel good’ and “predictable’. Be that as it may, the heartwarming flick,
directed by Lasse Hallstrom of Chocolat, and based on an international best seller,
grossed R738 660 locally in its opening weekend with 47 prints.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For disappointed moviegoers in its opening weekend both
nationally and internationally. The sequel to the 2005 film brought in US$6.5 million,
putting it in eighth place in the USA, and just R560 846 with 70 prints at the South
African box office. The movie, starring Jessica Alba and Josh Brolin, served up a fair
amount of sinful sauciness but critics continue to slam the flick and global box office
statistics seem to concur.
