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SA’s Weekend Top 10: Welcome to the doldrums

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Ancient sailors used to fear the doldrums. It basically came down to no real wind, which meant you were stuck on the ocean without much more than a breeze and flat seas as far as the eye can see. Considering I go mental after an hour on the sunny deck of a ship, it’s a fair assumption that my career as a sailor would not have worked out back then.

Then again, I doubt any job would do. Did you know that even in the late 18th century horses were so prevalent in London that their crap was everywhere? Even better – if a horse died, it was just left in the street to rot, because it is easier to remove a rotting horse carcass than one in fresh rigor mortis. We are talking scarcely a century ago here, folks, so I can’t imagine there being anything pleasant about going back to those simpler times.

Another fun fact: toilet paper only became truly splinter-free by the 1930s.

What on earth am I on about? Well, we’re in the chart doldrums. The next big release is the next Hunger Games, which arrives next week Thursday, with Spectre after that. But for now you pretty much get what you got for the past two weeks.

bridgeofspies0016

Goosebumps continued to stay at the top, and Hotel Transylvania 2 slipped only one spot to third – making space for the new thriller Bridge of Spies. Knowing Spielberg’s style, it’s probably a dash of entertainment with a dollop of sanctimonious dribble. Hey, I like Spielberg, but the man is the godfather of high end popcorn films.

Kitchen drama Burnt also slipped one spot, but that means Bradley Cooper’s haute cuisine faire is doing better than I expected it would, stabilising after a short first-place debut. Horror film Crimson Peak has not been as lucky, falling two spots from its debut last week to sixth.

The only incumbent that hasn’t shifted is local drama Dis ek Anna, which remained at 5th for a second week.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials continued its amble to the exit with a single spot drop, while Pan‘s death spiral was briefly slowed by moving from 7th to 8th. Pan would have been even lower, but the lack of impactful new releases means it is safe for now. The Martian was also down a spot to 9th.

Finally, debuting at 10th is an Afrikaans animated film, Sneeukoningin. Based on the Snow Queen fable, this was dubbed from a Dutch film, which in turn appears to have been made by a Russian studio. Reviews say it’s okay, but this may open a new local market.

die-sneeukoningin

  • 01. GOOSEBUMPS (incl 3D)
  • 02. BRIDGE OF SPIES
  • 03. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (Incl 3D)
  • 04. BURNT
  • 05. DIS EK ANNA
  • 06. CRIMSON PEAK (incl Imax)
  • 07. MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS (incl 3D)
  • 08. PAN (incl 3D)
  • 09. THE MARTIAN (incl 3D)
  • 10. SNEEUKONINGIN (Incl 3D)

Two arrivals mean two departures. Thriller The Perfect Guy finally bows out after a very good run, while Tom Hardy’s gangster drama Legend leaves despite only arriving last week.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is still the top earner, but it hasn’t shifted too much from the R16 million it had amassed since last week, showing those box office doldrums in action. Yes, that does sound a bit oxymoronic.

Last Updated: November 11, 2015

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