The NYT:
The low-budget alien movie “District 9” was No. 1 at the weekend box office with an estimated $37 million in ticket sales, a stronger than expected result fueled by a quirky marketing campaign.
“District 9,” an R-rated social satire about a spacecraft that stalls over Johannesburg, cost only $30 million to make. Peter Jackson of “Lord of the Rings” fame was the driving force as a producer, and the 29-year-old Neill Blomkamp, whose previous feature experience is almost entirely confined to visual-effects work, was the director.
Even if they spent another $15m in advertising, by next Monday it will probably have made $60m. A nice return.
If my friends online are any indicator, the movie has a great word of mouth campaign in the making. I hope it’s just like Alive in Joburg, only longer.
Update: The movie is very, very smart. The anti-hero is fantastic. There are some flaws but the storytelling is like a splash of cold water. To date, it’s made $97m worldwide.
Second update: A very knowledgeable source estimates Sony spent at least $30m in domestic marketing.