District 9 (2009)
85%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 4 Oscars
31 wins & 117 nominations total
Technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic
District 9 is like if E.T. was a gritty, action-packed thriller with a side of social commentary. The aliens, or “prawns,” are both terrifying and oddly sympathetic, and the film’s exploration of xenophobia and oppression is both timely and thought-provoking. Plus, there’s plenty of explosions and vaporizations to keep you on the edge of your seat. Overall, District 9 is a must-watch for sci-fi fans and anyone who wants to see aliens kick some serious butt.
Production Company(ies)
Kennedy Miller Productions,
Distributor
Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Johannesburg, South Africa
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):English, Nyanja, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho
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Country of origin:United States, New Zealand, South Africa
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 2009 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 22, 2009
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
District 9, Sci-fi, Sharlto Copley, directed by Neill Blomkamp, written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Jeannette Catsoulis, Jonathan Romney, Anupama Chopra, Tom Charity, Joshua Rothkopf, Sean Axmaker, Jason Adams, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Nikki Baughan, MPAA rating R, aliens, Multi-National United, South Africa, District 9, Wikus Van De Merwe, Grey Bradnam, Koobus Venter, Tania Van De Merwe, Fundiswa Mhlanga, Thomas, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Entertainment, SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
Worldwide gross: $210,888,950
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $291,471,879
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 518
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,785,374
US/Canada gross: $115,646,235
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $159,835,901
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 489
US/Canada opening weekend: $37,354,308
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $51,627,790
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 219
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $41,463,322
Production budget ranking: 931
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,327,999
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $227,680,559
ROI to date (est.): 357%
ROI ranking: 389
Jason Cope – Grey Bradnam
David James – Koobus Venter
Vanessa Haywood – Tania Van De Merwe
Mandla Gaduka – Fundiswa Mhlanga
Kenneth Nkosi – Thomas
Director(s)
Neill Blomkamp
Writer(s)
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Producer(s)
Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 4 Oscars
31 wins & 117 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (313) | Top Critics (73) | Fresh (281) | Rotten (32)
I don’t know guys, at the end of the day it’s aliens and hard for me to take this seriously.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: B
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
The wonder is that despite its obvious roots, District 9 feels staggeringly original.
June 17, 2015
Jeannette Catsoulis
NPR
TOP CRITIC
Blomkamp is good at mustering speedy action and posting grisly sight gags in the background, carnage always hovering comically at the edge of your vision. But I’m not sure that District 9 entirely gets the earthling racism out of its own system.
June 17, 2015
Jonathan Romney
Independent on Sunday
TOP CRITIC
Audacious, original and absolutely gut-wrenching.
June 17, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Anupama Chopra
NDTV
TOP CRITIC
It’s a brashly confident debut, full of sharp, inventive detail (the prawns are crazy for cat food) and rooted in a couple of Big Ideas. Well worth the time, if not all of it.
August 25, 2014
Tom Charity
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
District 9 has too many gory vaporizations to qualify as a serious statement on race relations, but it does outclank Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by a wide margin, and you thrill to the cleanly cut action sequences.
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Funny and ferocious, cynical and satirical, “District 9” is both ingeniously clever and reflectively thoughtful, a science fiction thriller that bubbles with social commentary.
April 26, 2022
Sean Axmaker
Stream on Demand
I don’t think the film is the epic reevaluation of science-fiction storytelling like some people have hailed it to be. But I do think it’s a solid smart sci-fi action flick that’s honest to its characters
January 10, 2022
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
One of the most creative and exciting science-fiction adventures in the last decade.
November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Amid the mayhem, however, it’s impossible to lose sight of the film’s penetrating satire on racism and xenophobia.
November 23, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
FEELS oppressed and this oppression permeates virtually every single minute of the film’s 112-minute runtime.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It’s a genuinely impressive debut feature and unlike the singular experience of Cloverfield’s faux-reality, District 9 has narrative, plus thematic weight and visceral thrills, which elevate it above the gimmick of the reality format.
October 29, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits…
Plot
In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed “The Prawns,” appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new ‘Prawn’ friends.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about District 9.
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