INDUSTRY GROWTH
Local romcoms reel in fans and funds
‘We are seeing filmed entertainment revenues on a steady upward curve’
In the past two years, the South African film industry has witnessed a new phenomenon — locally written, directed and produced romantic comedies starring local casts have been performing decently at the box office. Films such as Say Sweet Something, Mrs Right Guy and Happiness is a Four-Letter Word have debunked the notion that domestic films gain traction with local audiences only when they star Hollywood actors. These films generated millions of rand at the box office as audiences flocked to see them. Ster-Kinekor CE Wanda Matandela, whose company screens about 280 films annually at more than 500 cinemas in SA and the rest of Africa, says the key to box-office success is that the story must connect with the audience. "It is not for me to tell producers what kind of movies to come up with. "However, what I can say is that romcoms have done very well on the local film scene. For example, Happiness is a Four-Letter Word achieved R13m, Mrs Right Guy made R4m and Say Sweet Something al...
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