Mandela movie opens strongly in UK
The producer of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Anant Singh says he is very happy with the way the film performed on its opening weekend in the United Kingdom.
FILE PICTURE: British actor Idris Elba, who plays the role of Nelson Mandela in the movie “Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom”, speaks ahead of the movie’s premiere in Johannesburg on November 3, 2013. PHOTO: AFP.
It is projected that the film, which opened in Britain and Ireland on Friday, will make more than R25 million in its first three days of release.
“This is indeed a formidable opening,” said a delighted Singh.
“The UK audience is a diverse one and the strong box office performance shows the wide appeal of the film, especially as it opened bigger than Ali, Munch and The Last King Of Scotland.”
In a statement released on the weekend the film’s producers added, “It is expected to be one of the top 10 performers at the UK box office this weekend. The strong box office performance comes on the back of positive reviews from UK critics.”
The exceptional box office performance has also been aided by the fact that British actors Idris Elba and Naomie Harris play the lead roles while Irish rockers U2 feature prominently on the soundtrack.
The film, based on Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom received three Golden Globe nominations last month.
– TeamTalk
