Just in case you are a movie executive and you read this column to help further your career, I’d like to offer the following bit of advice: don’t go crazy on the live adaptations. Sure, we’ve had a good run so far with Cinderella, Maleficent and now The Jungle Book, but don’t forget that other Snow White movie from a few years ago. It did rather so-so.
Well, they thought the sequel would be remedied by just dropping that woman from Twilight, but audiences aren’t biting and The Huntman: Winter’s War did not open well in the US. Local audiences appear to be in a similar mind, proving that Chris Hemsworth isn’t really a draw unless he’s dressed like a Norwegian god.
Jake Gyllenhaal has more pull than him, which might explain Demolition‘s arrival at 9th. Yes, that’s low, but it’s still higher than what the movie saw in many other countries. Sadly, 9th also means ‘thanks for showing up’. Demolition will be gone next week.
Barbershop 3, the surprise smash sequel from Ice Cube’s franchise stable, enters at a comfortable third. I predict it will have good traction and certainly outpace Huntsman.
Batman vs Superman is not doing badly – given the bad press it should have slid down faster, but thus far all of its downward movement has been from new entries at the top. Nonetheless, it has now been firmly dethroned off its second spot as well.
But the biggest drop is for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, down three to 6th. Criminal, further proof that Kevin Costner can’t pull off antihero characters, dropped two spots.
London Has Fallen has, well, fallen from the top 10, the end of a fairly tepid run. The Forest also bows out after a mere one week, again opening local audience’s love/meh relationship with horrors. But it’s the most devastating of departures for Modder en Bloed, the local period sports drama that came in with a lot of hype and polish, but couldn’t find the audience other smaller and cheaper local movies did.
- 01. THE JUNGLE BOOK (Incl 3D, Imax & 4DX) (LW: 1)
- 02. THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR (NE)
- 03. BARBERSHOP 3 (NE)
- 04. BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (Incl 3D) (LW: 2)
- 05. ZOOTROPOLIS (Incl 3D) (LW: 4)
- 06. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 (LW: 3)
- 07. KUNG FU PANDA 3 (Incl 3D) (LW: 5)
- 08. CRIMINAL (LW: 6)
- 09. DEMOLITION (NE)
- 10. HIGH STRUNG (LW: 9)
LTD GBO ( life to date gross office): BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE with R40,865,757.
(LW = Last Week; NE = New Entry)
Last Updated: April 28, 2016
