Schuster's ''Mama Jack'' topples box office record
South Africa's Leon Schuster retains his position as the country's leading box office draw with a record-breaking opening of his latest film, 'Mama Jack'. The film earned R4 228 042 in its opening weekend, topping his previous offering, 'Mr Bones', by almost 50%.
This indicates that Mama Jack will probably top Mr Bones, which went on to gross than R32 million, making it South Africa's record holder. Mr Bones broke all South African box office records and outgrossed films like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
According to producer Anant Singh, "Mama Jack is definitely Leon's best film to date. His transformation from a macho guy to the lovable Mama is truly convincing. It is a wonderful, hundred per cent local, family film and a treat for audiences this holiday season. It is great to see people of all ages and a fully integrated racial mix in the cinemas. It is also great to see South Africa's leading critics respond positively, including Barry Ronge, who said, '...this is Schuster at his typical best... he's virtually a national monument.'"
Leon Schuster commented, "I am thrilled with the performance of Mama Jack this past weekend. I have been working on Mama Jack for four years and it is very satisfying for me to see South African audiences enjoy the film so much."
The film marks a departure from the usual Schuster fare of candid camera antics and has a compelling and extremely funny storyline with numerous visual gags and a host of interesting characters played by well-known personalities like Alfred Ntombela, Jerry Mofokeng, Lionel Newton, Mary-Anne Barlow and Shaleen Surtie-Richards. Schuster plays three roles.
Mama Jack is a Videovision Entertainment production in association with Distant Horizon and Delta Films (Pty) Ltd, produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring, executive produced by Sanjeev Singh and Sudhir Pragjee, written by Leon Schuster, Gray Hofmeyr, Paul Slabolepsky and Jeff Newton, and directed by Gray Hofmeyr.
The top earning cinemas this weekend were East Rand Mall and Gateway in Umhlanga, which earned over R160 000 each. Mama Jack is playing across South Africa in over 100 cinemas.
