![[Clockwise from top left]: 'The Voice Of Hind Rajab', 'A House Of Dynamite', 'Jay Kelly', 'After The Hunt', 'The Smashing Machine'](https://d1nslcd7m2225b.cloudfront.net/Pictures/274x183/1/7/0/1459170_veniceawards_837515.jpg)
Australia’s annual gross box office exceeded A$1bn - around $891m - for the first time, propelled by the increase in 3D screens and rising ticket prices.
Mainstream releases mostly over-performed: Australian audiences enjoy US comedies, such as 17 Again which stood-out backed by an Easter campaign from Roadshow.
Local films also held their heads helped by good budgets. However, Hopscotch’s much-anticipated UK-Australia co-production The Boys Are Back, directed by Scott Hicks on home soil for the first time since Shine, disappointed with just $1.9m (A$2.1m). Clive Owen’s role as a tough-cookie father clearly did not entice the female target audience, looking for a good weep.
| Australia: Top 5 Films 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title (origin) | Distributor | Gross |
| Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince (US-UK) | Warner Bros | $35.7m |
| Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (US) | PPI | $35.5m |
| Avatar (US) | Fox | £34.1m* |
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (US) | Hoyts Distribution | $32.7m* |
| Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (US) | 20th Fox | $26.2m |
| Australia: Local Films 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title (origin) | Distributor | Gross |
| Mao’s Last Dancer (Aus) | Roadshow/Hopscotch | $13.3m* |
| Australia (US-Aus) | 20th Fox | $9.5m** |
| Knowing (US-Aus) | Icon Film Distribution | $6.7m |
| Charlie & Boots (Aus) | PPI/Transmission | $3.4m |
| Samson & Delilah (Aus) | Transmission/Footprint | $2.8m |
(For both charts above) *As of Dec 31, still on release. **2009 gross (film released in 2009), Source: MPDAA
| Australia: Top 10 DVD Sell-Through 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title | Distributor | |
| Australia | Fox | |
| Twilight | Sony | |
| Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen* | Paramount | |
| Twilight* | Sony | |
| Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince | Warner Bros | |
| The Dark Knight | Warner Bros | |
| Mamma Mia! The Movie | Universal | |
| Quantum Of Solace | Fox | |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Paramount | |
| High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Walt Disney Studios | |
*Special editions. Source: GfK Australia
| Foreign Releases 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title (origin) | Distributor | Gross |
| The Boat That Rocked (US-UK-Fr) | UPI | $5.1m |
| Transporter 3 (Fr) | Icon Film Distribution | $2.9m |
| Coco Before Chanel (Fr) | Warner Bros | $2.5m |
| Easy Virtue (UK) | Hopscotch | $2.5m |
| Planet 51 | Hoyts Distribution | $2.3m* |
| The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus (Fr-UK-Can) | Hoyts Distribution | $1.9m |
| I’ve Loved You So Long (Fr) | Palace Films | $1.7m* |
| An Education (UK) | PPI/Transmission | $1.3m* |
| Cheri (UK-Fr-Ger) | Icon Film Distribution | $1m |
| Summer Hours (Fr) | Palace Films | $0.9m |
*Still on release or opened in 2008 so has grossed more in total. Source: MPDAA
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