District 9 combines familiar commercial elements like aliens and violence with a new setting — some sharp political subtext.

SA is finding all kinds of ways to express pride about District 9, a locally produced film that has turned into a blockbuster in the US.

If you follow all the rules, as <i>District 9</i> did, topping the box office is not necessarily a surprise.

District 9, a gritty, low-budget space alien movie set in South Africa with a cast of unknowns, has opened as Hollywood’s number one film.