Thinus Ferreira
The Afrikaans buddy road trip movie Die Kwiksilwers has become the Afrikaans film with the highest box office gross during its opening weekend since South Africa's cinemas reopened after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Die Kwiksilwers, produced by Jordy Sank and Gabriella Blumberg's Sanktuary Films, and distributed by Filmfinity, was the 5th highest-grossing film at the South African box office during its opening weekend over the first weekend of May 2025.
Die Kwiksilwers was only surpassed by the American releases of Thunderbolts, Sinners, A Minecraft Movie en The Accountant 2.
Die Kwiksilwers tells the story of four older women who go on a road trip through South Africa's Karoo region, starring Lida Botha, Susanne Beyers, June van Merch and Theresa Sedras.
Another three Afrikaans films, including one from Namibia and another one on Netflix, will still be released this year.
"Die Kwiksilwers had a terrific opening weekend - the best opening weekend for an Afrikaans film since theatres opened after Covid," Pieter Geldenhuys, Filmfinity distributor, tells me.
"After its first week in theatres, Die Kwiksilwers stood at R750 000 and attendance of 7 306. We hope it's a good sign for the road ahead."
He says "Filmfinity is positive about Afrikaans films. We have already released two this year: Som van Twee and Die Kwiksilwers and both were very well received. We hope that more are made after a relatively quiet period after Covid."
Die Kwiksilwers is a full commission from kykNET, with Sanktuary Films that pitched the idea to kykNET three years ago, after which it was approved for debut at the kykNET Silwerskermfees.
It was fully funded by kykNET and had its premiere last year at the kykNET Silwerskermfees, after which it premiered in South African theatres the first weekend of May 2025.
"KykNET remain committed to the production of Afrikaans films even with tight budgets," says Waldimar Pelser, M-Net director for premium channels. "It's an important vehicle to tell stories with a long shelf-life and which will be enjoyed by future generations."
Jordy Sank, director and writer of the film, tells me "It's wonderful that people immediately fell in love with Die Kwiksilwers and wanted to go on a wild road trip with these characters."
"Last year we could already see that Die Kwiksilwers was a movie that this community really, really wants to go and see."
He says it's important for South African stories to return to cinema. "It's a phenomenal time for South African storytellers and filmmakers to create and get their stories out to inspire people."
He says that behind-the-scenes during filming in the middle of the Karoo on a farm without electricity or cellphone reception, "it was incredible to just watch the performances of Lida Botha and the rest of the veteran cast with so much energy and excitement".
Veteran film critic Leon van Nierop tells me that Die Kwiksilwers was "really made with the audience in mind and the film and cinemagoers immediately found each other".
"The audience knows what it's about. They can see it's fun and upbeat and joyful. People want to relax but a lot of people want to sit inside a theatre with other Afrikaans-speaking people and for a change laugh in and about Afrikaans inside a cinema."
He says it's important to celebrate Afrikaans film.
"Afrikaans is 100 years old. A hundred years ago, it was six years before the Afrikaans film Moedertjie. We should be proud on what we are doing as an industry and we should tell our own stories in an accessible way."
"In Die Kwiksilwers we have a bunch of old ladies who are eccentric but the film makes them accessible and funny. We are used to older Afrikaans women depicted as aunties in Daar Kom Tant Alie and Tant Ralie se Losieshuis - as caricatures or stereotypes."
"In this case, the characters are real people. It shows that age is just a number. They are older but they haven't yet started to open the fridge door to cool off, they're still living past the fridge door".
According to Leon van Nierop, Die Kwiksilwers' box office performance "should serve as motivation for people to make other and more Afrikaans films to be released in cinemas".
"The industry should be daring and courageous and bold and not scared and realise that Afrkaans and Afrikaans film is relevant. There was a time when people were ashamed of Afrikaans film. That time has long passed. Don't be scared to share Afrikaans films with audiences in cinemas."
On 23 May Die Dekontruksie van Retta Blom will be released, and on 29 August the Namibian film, My F*k Marelize will have its premiere in cinemas.
Semi-Soeter from Anel Alexander and Joshua Rous will be released soon on Netflix, although a release date isn't yet known.
Netflix SA didn't respond to a media query about Semi-Soeter's release date, why the streamer decided to invest in creating this Afrikaans follow-up film to Semi-Soet, or whether Semi-Soeter might get a limited release in South African cinemas.