Schuster scores R4m with ‘Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones’
LEON Schuster’s Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones officially hit local cinemas on April 14. e comedy film, starring Tumi Morake and Alfred “Shorty” Ntombela, sold more than 38 000 tickets during its first week at cinemas. is comes after tweeps slammed Schuster for releasing another Mr Bones film. Poet and activist Ntsiki Mazwai said the film was “offensive”.
Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones follows a young boy who overcomes a series of challenges to prove himself as a man. e film stars the likes of Wandile Molebatsi, Jay Anstey, Sans Moonsamy, Daniel Janks, Sthandile Nkosi and Jerry Mofokeng.
Speaking to iol about the film, Morake described Schuster as “a hoot”.
“He is like a kid in a candy store on set, there is always a joke or a prank coming. Watching how meticulous he is with the comedy — from choices in words and sounds to how the comedy works physically in a scene — was like being in a comedy masterclass,” Morake said.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, entertainment commentator Phil Mphela revealed that Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones has been flying at the box office.
Mphela reported that the film has made more than R4,2 million (US$270 000) from ticket sales.
Released in 2008, Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past made R10 million (US$645 000) when it opened at the box office.
In some of his films, specifically Mama Jack and Shucks Tshabalala: Survival Guide to South Africa, Schuster wears blackface. In an interview with Sunday Times in 2018, Shuster said he regretted having profited from blackface.
“On Twitter, they said stay away from the blackface, it’s not on. It was black people talking to me and you have got to listen. I can’t do it because I will be heavily criticised. In the olden days, it troubled nobody. But I won’t go blackface now, I can’t do it.
“ere is not one actor in the world that will. It’s just racist,” said the 70-year-old filmmaker.
Meanwhile, the South African Film Festival (SAFF) will once again return from the May 7 to 24
— bringing the very best of contemporary South African film to Australian and New Zealand audiences, both in-cinema and online.
is year’s festival features a diverse programme of 21 films, from hard-hitting documentaries to heart-warming short films, and from blockbuster features to personal stories. is rich offering gives diverse audiences unique insights into South Africa: its creative force; the strength of its people; its challenges; and the richness of its vibrant cultures and languages.
e festival offers an incredible selection of bonus content, including an interview with South African-born Hollywood icon Charlize eron.
More than just a celebration of cinematic art, SAFF is a festival with a conscience. All profits from the festival go to supporting the vital work of Education without Borders (EwB), a not-for-profit that is changing the lives of disadvantaged and at-risk youth in South Africa’s Western Cape.
e online festival pass costs US$70 or R1 107) or US$100 (R15 982) for a household; single film, US$10 (R158); and incinema tickets is going for US$22 (R348) — e South African.