Kung Fu Panda 4 took the top spot at the Australian box office from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire after its box office take lifted 8 per cent to $3.67 million in its second weekend.
The screen average of the latest installment in the animated franchise rose from $6,878 to $7,921 as audiences flocked to the film. By way of contrast, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s box office declined by 42 per cent to $3.23 million (screen average falling from $11,092 to $7,173), which is in line with previous entries in the Godzilla/Kong monster franchises.
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was in third place with $1.64 million while Dune: Part Two took $1.32 million to hold fourth position. The sci-fi fantasy has now grossed $32.2 million in total.
Australian war film Before Dawn posted a soft opening, taking $99,971 across 125 screens for a screen average of $800. The film, inspired by the real-life diary entries of local ANZACs, was shot in regional WA. That was enough to put the big budget Australian film in twelfth place at the box office.
Roadshow’s Force of Nature: The Dry 2 has now fallen out of the top 20 films in its ninth week. It was screened on 19 cinemas and has taken $7.29 million in total. It is a strong result relative to recent Australian films but below industry expectations of $10-$12 million. The first film based on Jane Harper’s best-selling novel grossed more than $20.7 million in Australia.
Other notable releases over the weekend included Dev Patel’s action flick Monkey Man, which took $787,268 across 296 screens (screen average $2,660) to rest in fifth place, while Disney horror film The First Omen grossed $297,451 across 226 screens (screen average $1,316).