South Africa’s box office: Ghost in the Shell loses to Smurfs

Ghost in the Shell was unable to overcome a backfiring promo campaign this weekend, and was beat out of the top spot by none other than Smurfs: The Lost Village.

The live action anime reboot had a tough run-up to premiere, with many outraged over the casting of Scarlett Johansson in a role they believed belonged to a Japanese actress. Despite opening in Imax and 3D, and despite arresting visuals, the film couldn’t redeem itself from public scorn, and came in second to the first fully animated Smurfs film since 1976.

But how did the other films fare this weekend? (31 March to 2 April?)

Kong: Skull Island (review) was finally ousted from top spot to third, after three weeks at number one. The film, which is being shown in 3D, 4DX and Imax, is officially the top 10 title with the highest life to date gross, raking in R 15 641 555 so far. It has overtaken Logan: The Wolverine (review), which was sitting at R13.6 million last week. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine swan song has since fallen to seventh.

Ghost in the Shell lost out to Smurfs: The Lost Village in this past weekend’s Box Office battle

Neither Power Rangers (review), John Wick: Chapter Two (review) nor ChiPS were able to compete with the newcomers and each fell two positions to fourth, sixth and eighth respectively.

Keeping up with the Kandasamys, the South African family comedy that held on to third place for four weeks in a row, has finally slipped down two positions to fifth. Its compatriot Kampterrein was able to make the rare move upwards this week, though, from a debut at tenth to a second week in ninth.

The nihilist sci-fi Life, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds, was not able to do the same. It fell from seventh spot all the way down to tenth, marking the biggest fall this week. This is embarrassing for the producers who probably shouldn’t have named a film after something it doesn’t have.

Here are ten most-watched movies in SA this past weekend:

1. Smurfs: The Lost Village (incl. 3D)
2. Ghost in the Shell (incl. 3D, 4DX & Imax)
3. Kong: Skull Island (Incl. 3D, 4DX & Imax)
4. Power Rangers (incl. 4Dx)
5. Keeping up with the Kandasamys 
6. John Wick: Chapter Two
7. Logan: The Wolverine (incl. 4DX & Imax)
8. ChiPS 
9. Kampterrein
10. Life

All stats were provided by Ster Kinekor Entertainment.