Barring a break-out hit or at least several strong performers, the B.O. total of Australian films this calendar year is highly unlikely to match 2013’s $38.5 million.
Through last Sunday, 34 local films have racked up $16.03 million nationwide. That includes mostly small amounts earned this year by 19 titles that opened in 2013 or earlier.
While the local B.O. results should not be seen as the sole yardstick of any film’s global performance, the industry would have expected stronger ticket sales for David Michôd’s The Rover and last week’s opener, Zak Hilditch’s These Final Hours, while Rhys Graham’s Galore also underperformed.
Rolf de Heer Charlie’s Country is tracking below Tracker, his first collaboration with David Gulpilil, which grossed $818,000 in 2002. Ten Canoes, the second of the “trilogy,” is the highest-earner of de Heer’s career, making $3.5 million in 2006.
Only The Railway Man (which opened on Boxing Day and has a lifetime cume of $7.3 million), Wolf Creek 2 and Tracks have surpassed $1 million this year.
The industry will be pinning its hopes on six titles that are due for release in the coming months to restore some confidence in Australian cinema. To be fair, last year’s total was inflated by The Great Gatsby, which raked in $27.4 million.
Matt Saville’s Felony and the Spierig brothers' Predestination open on August 28, Josh Lawson’s The Little Death and John V. Soto's The Reckoning are slated for September and Julius Avery’s Son of a Gun in October.
Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner should end the year on a high note as it launches on December 26.
Several films which might have juiced up the 2014 scorecard are being dated for 2015, including Rob Connolly’s Paper Planes (January), Kriv Stenders’ Kill Me Three Times and Tony Ayres’ Cut Snake.
IF's chart supplied by the MPDAA does not show minor contributions from more than a dozen films that were released in 2013 but their grosses are counted in the total.
|
AUSTRALIAN FILMS SCORECARD 2014
|
|||
|
|
Title |
Release Date |
Total |
|
1 |
The Railway Man |
Dec 26 2013 |
$5,532,895*
|
|
2 |
Wolf Creek 2 |
February 20 |
4,731,144
|
|
3 |
Tracks |
March 6 |
2,412,759
|
|
4 |
The Rover |
June 12 |
516,836 |
|
5 |
Healing |
May 8 |
482,415
|
|
6 |
Charlie’s Country |
July 17 |
440,547 |
|
7 |
I, Frankenstein |
March 20 |
388,276 |
|
8 |
The Babadook |
May 22 |
250,664 |
|
9 |
Hidden Universe 3D |
Sept 5 2013 |
239,865*
|
|
10 |
These Final Hours |
July 31 |
213,983 |
|
11 |
Backyard Ashes |
Nov 7 2013 |
179,353*
|
|
12 |
52 Tuesdays |
May 1 |
143,168 |
|
13
|
Lygon Street: Si Parla Italiano |
Nov 14 2013 |
116,689* |
|
14 |
Once My Mother |
July 24 |
98,778 |
|
15 |
Convict |
January 23 |
60,281 |
|
16 |
Antarctica |
1996 |
57,658* |
|
17 |
Galore |
June 19 |
29,359 |
|
18 |
The Last Impresario |
June 26 |
26,089 |
|
19 |
Canopy |
April 24 |
23,747 |
|
20 |
Uncharted Waters |
Nov 18 2013 |
23,422 |
|
21 |
The Crossing |
April 24 |
10,987 |
Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia
*Calendar 2014 gross