by Thinus Ferreira
Last year has been the worst year in the past decade for locally produced South African films, earning a meagre R2.5 million at the box office in 2021 and flashing massive warning signs that big financial intervention and support from the South African government, working together with the country's struggling local film industry, is urgently needed if local moviemaking is to survive.
According to the National Film and Video Foundation's (NFVF) 2021 South African Box Office Report, not a single local film made the top 10 list of most-watched films in 2021 at cinemas, with local films generating less than 1% of the year's total box office revenue.
The report states that as South Africa's film industry emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, South Africa's government "has not done enough to revitalise the industry".
According to the 2021 South African Box Office Report, the country's box office revenue last year amounted to R325 million - however almost two-thirds (60%) of this income was generated by just 10 of the 155 films released in the country - with not a single local film under the top 10.
With 14 South African films (9% out of the 155) that were locally produced in 2021, they collectively contributed just 1% to the overall South African box office revenue.
As worrying: Out of the R2 517 014 generated at the box office from these 14 domestic films, 95% of the revenue came from just three films, all of which were comedies: New Material (R1.013 million), Barakat (R849 370) and Kaalgat Karel (R520 399).
The South African Box Office Report's trend analysis of locally produced films shows that not only are the number of locally made films released, decreasing in South Africa but also the revenue being generated by these local films.
The relatively poor performance of local films contributes to discouraging local producers from releasing new films, with the decrease in the number and revenue of local films in the past decade in South Africa leading to South Africans having low interest in paying to go and see local films at cinemas.
The revenue of all films produced in South Africa shows an overall downward trend, from R84 million in 2012 to R60 million in 2019. The year 2013 was the best performing in the last decade, generating R101 million, while 2021 was the worst-performing year and generated only R2.5 million.
The number of domestic films released during this period similarly declined from 19 in 2012 to 14 in 2021.
To boost local filmmaking, the report states that "The film industry stakeholders and the government will have to work together and devise innovative strategies to make it happen".
"The underperformance of South African films can also be due to the rise in popularity of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services such as Netflix and Showmax," the report states.
"These platforms have provided convenience for the South African audience, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown. Over half of the movies produced in South Africa in 2021 were released on SVOD platforms."
The top 10 money-maker films at the South African box office in 2021 were all international films: Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, Sing 2, Fast & Furious 9, Encanto, The Eternals, Godzilla vs Kong, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Venom: Let There be Carnage, and Dune.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, released in December and becoming the biggest overall South African box office revenue generator of the year, accounted for almost a quarter of 2021 revenue.
The majority (59%) of the films released in 2021 in South Africa were distributed by Filmfinity and Empire Entertainment.
The 2021 South African Box Office Report recommends that to maximise box office revenue, film industry stakeholders should invest in increasing the number of theatres "to reach wider audiences
in new areas. This will bring in more admissions and consequently more revenue".
The report says that local South African filmmakers will need innovative ideas and government support to improve their content, production quality and advertising.
"The government will need to support the film industry and aim to return it to its pre-pandemic performance."
