After taking the US and the UK by storm, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is shining bright in South Africa now.
It has raked in more than a million rands after opening at 20 cinemas across South Africa last weekend.
Reportedly the Oscar winning movie about slum life in Mumbai by British filmmaker Danny Boyle has grossed over 1.4 million on its opening weekend and playing to sold out houses & clinching the number one spot. It was up against the Hollywood hit WATCHMEN, the other high-profile opener over the weekend and made 22 per cent more at the box office with 68 per cent less prints than WATCHMEN.
The buzz is that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE more than doubled the print average of AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, the most successful film of all time in South Africa.
Isabel Rao, chief executive of major cinema group Ster-Kinekor Distribution has said, ''It is rare to find a film that is both a critical and commercial success, but SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE has gone into this unique millionaire's club. This is a film that overcame its 'art/niche' label and went on to perform commercially to audiences everywhere. The film's success epitomizes the communal interaction of movie going and its unique ability to transcend cultural barriers makes it truly a 'one-in-a-million' success story.''
They are hoping that the audiences now will be inspired to watch more of Indian cinema. Though Indian movies have been screened a lot but they have been more selective in recent years and have opted only for the best titles. Mostly the support is from the Indian community with a sprinkling of interest from Black and White patrons.
Other big films which have been screened there are Ashutosh Gowarikar’s JODHAA AKBAR and the acclaimed Aamir Khan film TAARE ZAMEEN PAR.
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