Actors from S'pore film, The Sandbox, tries to surprise moviegoers at screening, finds only 7 people in cinema

Some cast members from the new Singapore mockumentary, The Sandbox, went to surprise some moviegoers at one of the screenings.

However, the excitement quickly turned to slight apprehension.

Documented on his Instagram, one of the stars, Nathan Hartono, shared that only seven people were in the cinema.

But the stars took it in their stride, and thanked the fans for supporting the movie.

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A post shared by Nathan Hartono 向洋 (@nathanhartono)

"This is the reality of releasing independent films in Singapore," wrote Hartono in the caption.

"All the good intentions in the world can never replace butts in seats."

The Sandbox is a new Singapore mockumentary by director James Thoo.

The plot follows a struggling stunt training school in Singapore that suddenly fills with applicants after a rumour that Marvel is looking to cast its next superhero from Singapore.

It's a zany premise, with some well-known local names like Benjamin Kheng, Hartono, Oon Shu An and Fauzi Azzhar.

Cast members also commented on Hartono's post, thanking those who came to the screening.

Thoo, the director, said: "We keep fighting".

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A post shared by Nathan Hartono 向洋 (@nathanhartono)

Interestingly, a point mentioned in the video about Singaporeans waiting for streaming was also touched on by Fauzi.

He made this observation:

"Not every Singaporean film is guaranteed streaming release. It really depends on the theatrical runs in the cinemas or if you got budget.

And most of the time both also not met as a criteria. So if we then keep waiting for films to appear on streaming platforms instead of supporting them in cinemas, how do we then expect our local film industry to grow anyway?"

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A post shared by Fauzi Azzhar (@fauziazzhar)

The cast and director of The Sandbox recently sat down with Mothership to discuss artificial intelligence and its impact on Singapore's arts scene, as well as the inspiration behind the movie.

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A post shared by Mothership (@mothershipsg)