6 movies hitting South Africa’s box office in January 2019

With a new year comes a new roster of movies set to make their big screen debuts.

At the time of writing, only six movies are confirmed with launch dates in South Africa according to IMDb, but all seemingly offer something different to the discerning movie-goer.

Holmes & Watson

Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Kelly Macdonald.
Director: Etan Cohen (Get Hard).
Date: 4 January 2019.

American actors dallying in British humour? What is this, 2019?

Sherlock and the original good doctor must catch a criminal who plans to kill the Queen in four days, but along the way, they get pretty close to killing her themselves.

If Ferrell and Reilly starring alongside one another doesn’t convince you to see this flick, a cameo by Rob Brydon will surely do it.

The flick’s hitting US cinemas Christmas time, but South Africa will have to wait another week.

Final Score

Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Dave Bautista, Martyn Ford.
Director: Scott Mann (Heist).
Date: 4 January 2019.

Terrorists? Check. Abducted girl? Check. Liam Neeson? Negative. But replacing the burly Irishman is Dave Bautista in this action hostage flick.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star just so happens to be a former solider too with pretty dope fighting skills, so expect this 1h44min flick to pack plenty of knuckle sandwiches and explosions.

What you won’t like, if you’re a footy fan, is Dave calling the Hammer’s stadium “West Ham Stadium”. What you’ll love as a footy fan is that the Boleyn Ground is probably the movie’s biggest star.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor.
Director: Ari Sandel (The Duff).
Date: 4 January 2019.

Uh… this movie is a tad late, isn’t it? While it isn’t Halloween, the prospect of January is arguably even scarier.

Rated PG, this Goosebumps reheat might warm the hearts of those longing for nostalgia, but serious horror loves might want to avoid this one.

Welcome to Marwen

Cast: Eiza Gonzalez, Steve Carell, Leslie Mann.
Director: Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future).
Date: 25 January 2019.

It’s difficult to not feel something in this fantasy-slash-very-real-life drama.

Steve Carell teams up with Robert Zemeckis to portray the life of a creative veteran suffering from PTSD.

Regardless of the origins of the story, whether it remains true to the documentary and story that inspired it, the flick will likely challenge a slew of preconceptions about mental health.

What Men Want

Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Taraji P. Henson, Pete Davidson.
Director: Adam Shankman (Hairspray).
Date: 25 January 2019.

What Women Want debuted in 2000 and told the story of Adam Rifkin (Mel Gibson) who could hear the thoughts of women.

In 2018, a reimagination of this flick will debut in 2019, and tell the story of Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) who can hear the thoughts of men.

Same concept. Different angle. Will you bite?

Miss Bala

Cast: Gina Rodriquez, Anthony Mackie, Thomas Deckker.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight).
Date: 25 January 2019.

Miss Bala is a thriller that takes place in the middle of a narcotics war between the borders of Mexico and the United States.

In many ways, it’s a coming of age story for the protagonist Gloria (played by Gina Rodriquez) who seemingly goes from kidnapped to badass in two hours.

Expect plenty of guns, explosions, and everything you weren’t expecting from the director of the first Twilight movie.

Feature image: screenshot, Sony Pictures via YouTube