Here we go. After a couple of months of largely mid movie releases, the year is starting to pick up with more stylish blockbuster attractions.
As for what else is happening at South African cinemas, the eighth edition of the Joburg Film Festival is under way right now, with screenings at select venues across the city until Sunday, 8 March. Across the country, local cinephiles can take up Ster Kinekor’s Oscar Buzz offer and watch several of this year’s Best Picture nominees (F1, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Bugonia and Hamnet) with a small popcorn and Coke for R99, including at IMAX. Finally, you can revisit raunchy sequel Fifty Shades Darker, and check out National Theatre Live’s production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession, starring Imelda Staunton. Now onto the notable new feature films of this week.
Actress-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal writes, directs and produces The Bride!, a fresh spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and, more importantly, 1935 movie The Bride of Frankenstein. In this all-star production, set in tumultuous 1930s Chicago, Christian Bale’s monstrous Frankenstein turns to scientist Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) to revive a murdered woman (Jessie Buckley) as his Bride. Also with Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz. The Bride! is screening at Ster Kinekor cinemas only.
Expect our review in the coming days.
Hoppers is a brand new animated comedy from Pixar and Disney, and it’s being heralded as one of the funniest things the Toy Story studio has done in years. College student and conservation activist Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) hijacks an experimental technology to “hop” human minds into robotic animal bodies. This so she can rally the local creature population and save a glade from construction. Listen out for the likes of Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, and even Meryl Streep, although this one is less about star power and more about fresh messaging plus buoyant energy.
You can read our full-length review of Hoppers here.
The Heart Is a Muscle has actually screened in limited release locally before, however now this drama –South Africa’s official submitted entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars – is getting a wider showing. It all starts when a child goes missing during a braai in Cape Town. It’s a brief disappearance but the immediately destructive actions of the boy’s father Ryan (Keenan Arrison) force Ryan to face his violent gang past, and ultimately forgive himself. In Afrikaans with English subtitles.