by Thinus Ferreira
A rising animation film will always lift all cinema attendance, with Pixar's Inside Out 2 which has now become the top animated film of all time at the global box office and also helped propel South African cinema somewhat out of its box office slump.
Inside Out 2 from Disney's Pixar has officially surpassed Frozen 2 at the global box office with an estimated earning of $1.46 billion. Frozen 2 during its theatrical release made $1.45 billion worldwide.
Another record? Inside Out 2 is the highest-grossing film of 2024 so far. It's now also Pixar's highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.
It all makes it highly likely that there will be an Inside Out 3 with more mixed emotions.
Ster-Kinekor says that films like Inside Out 2, along with releases like Despicable Me 4 and Bad Boys: Ride or Die as the top three performing titles, have caused average weekly cinema attendance to more than double over the last four weeks.
These three films earned a cumulative R60 million at South Africa's box office, with Ster-Kinekor saying that the cinema theatre chain is confident that the uptick in local cinema attendance will continue for the rest of the year.
"It is satisfying to see a big shift in audience numbers, thanks to a selection of great content that’s appealing to different audience profiles," says Eric Blignaut, Ster-Kinekor's national sales manager.
"For our advertisers, it is further validation of their investment in the channel. What is exciting is the wide variety of films in different genres set for release on the circuit, ensuring there is something to appeal to everyone across our diverse audience profile."
Opening in South African cinemas over the next few weeks are Twisters, Long Legs, Fly Me to the Moon, It Ends with Us and the much-anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine.
"It's all about Beetlejuice in September, with the sequel to Joker, Joker: Folie À Deux, which sees Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the Joker, and Lady Gaga joining the cast as his love interest, releasing in October."
"As we head towards the year-end and holidays, audiences will be spoilt for choice with titles including Gladiator 2, Wicked Part 1, and Disney's Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King, both of which will make for great family viewing," Eric Blignaut says.
"What is also encouraging is that we are attracting new advertisers and first-time brands onto our screens, which we believe is reaffirming cinema's trajectory to recovery."