South Africa’s box office: Valerian bombs as the kids have their say

It was the last weekend of public school holidays, and South Africa’s children were not going back to school until they had assured their faves’ rightful places at the top of the charts. The box office has always been a top priority for today’s youth, and kids across the country have been spending their breaks planning this like a coup.

And they did it: they’ve got control.

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But what did this mean for our charts this weekend? (21 to 23 July)

The school holidays closed with Despicable Me 3 still in top spot after being pushed to second two weeks ago. The animated classic that has sent children and wine moms into a frenzy has raked in over R37-million so far, and looks set to take on The Fate of the Furious‘s R70-million plus earnings.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (review) did not fare so well. The blockbuster, which cost over US$200-million to make, debuted in third behind Spider-Man: Homecoming (review). Over in the US, the film opened to a measly US$17-million and was beat by Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which opens in SA this Friday.

South Africa’s children ensured that Captain Underpants, Despicable Me 3 and Cars 3 remain on the chart

Captain Underpants premiered behind Valerian in fourth — but the placement bodes better for the animated flick that cost only US$38-million to make and has already pulled in a profit. The film is one of the cheapest animated features DreamWorks has ever produced, and its success may encourage more low-budget films of the same ilk.

The biggest drop this week was by Cars 3 which fell from sixth to ninth, unable to compete with the new kids films on the block. While all other titles dropped two to make space for the newcomers, The House budged only one, leaving Cars 3 to pick up its slack.

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

1. Despicable Me 3 (Incl. 3D)
2. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Incl. 3D, 4DX & IMAX)
3. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Incl. 3D, 4DX & IMAX)
4. Captain Underpants (Incl. 3D)
5. War for the Planet of the Apes (Incl. 3D)
6. Transformers: The Last Knight
7. Baywatch
8. The House
9. Cars 3 (Incl. 3D)
10. The Circle

The above list was provided by Ster Kinekor Entertainment.