Christof Fanyana and Nadine Lette, both 18 with fold-up chairs in hand, were among the last to squeeze into the packed hall. These are the people Pillai wants to attract. Ster Kinekor is not only in townships, it also sends mobile units to mine hostels, military bases, and schools and universities where students can't afford the price of a movie. Pillai hopes to reach six million people within the next two years, and plans to add another 10 units in the near future. With those numbers, private companies and the government are eager to use mobile cinemas to get their messages out to a vast audience with little or no access to television.
Some advertisers supply the prizes that are given away each night before the movie begins.
Aubrey Gumede, a veteran film operator with a game-show host voice, grabs a microphone and tells the noisy crowd to settle down. He then talks about the new services offered by the national telephone company Telkom. The audience cheers as an old man jumps up to claim his prize. Most of the movies are Hollywood action flicks with plenty of car chases and loud music. The matinees are tamer, but can draw up to 1,000 kids.