17 Aug – With a first-time director and a cast of unknowns, the low-budget sci-fi alien movie "District 9" has topped box office returns in North America with an estimated US$37 million in its opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. Directed by South African-born director Neill Blomkamp, "District 9" is an expansion of the 2005 short film "Alive In Joburg," which Blomkamp also directed. Shot in a faux documentary style, the movie was produced by Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The film was largely supported by favourable reviews and promotional blitz at the recent Comic-Con convention held in San Diego, California, which helped fuelled the pre-release buzz for this low-budget film. According to Reuters, "District 9" is said to have cost less than US$30 million to make, a modest budget by Hollywood standards. Cinema Online's "District 9" contest winners got to catch the preview screening on 12 August 2009 at GSC 1 Utama, Petaling Jaya and were later asked, what they thought of the movie and how many stars would they rate it out of five.