The Australian box office grossed an estimated $960.7 million last year despite the lasting impact of the 2023 actor and writer strikes which curtailed the number of blockbuster releases.
While the figure was 2.4 per cent lower than the previous year’s $985 million tally, it represents a positive for the industry given a lacklustre first half of the year. The industry struggled with a lack of major studio releases following lengthy Hollywood industrial action and those that were released, such as Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, failed to meet expectations.
But the second half of the year rebounded with Inside Out 2 becoming the highest grossing animated film in Australia and Moana 2 becoming the highest grossing summer animated title of all time in Australia. Deadpool & Wolverine became the highest grossing R-rated movie in global cinema history.
Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II combined for the biggest weekend of the year in November, with more than 1.4 million tickets sold in Australia while Sonic 3 had the highest opening day for a family film for the year on Boxing Day and the second highest opening day of 2024 (following Deadpool & Wolverine).
It is the third consecutive year that the local box office has hovered around the $950 million mark, according to data from industry analyst Numero. Prior to the two pandemic years, which decimated the industry in 2020 and 2021 thanks to shutdowns, the box office hovered around the $1.2 billion mark.
A large proportion of that lost cinema revenue has migrated to streaming platforms although hopes remain high that a larger studio film slate and the growing popularity of premium cinema experiences will boost the overall box office in 2025.
Industry analyst Gower Street Analytics is estimating a 10 per cent increase in global box office in 2025 to $US33 billion ($A53 billion) due to a stronger film slate. The 2024 global box office of $US30.5 billion was still 10 per cent lower the previous year, with China posting a particularly soft result.
Cinema Association Australasia executive director Cameron Mitchell said the 2024 box office result demonstrates that a strong supply of great films strengthens audience demand to go to the movies.
“Cinema remains one of the most affordable out-of-home entertainment options, even more apparent when comparisons are made to concerts and sporting events,” he said.
“The Australian average cinema ticket price is one of the lowest globally when benchmarked against the local minimum wage, representing less than 80 per cent of the minimum hourly wage. Five of Australia’s eight highest grossing films of all time have released in the last four years, and with the stabilised lineup of releases across a diverse range of genres and languages, guests are embracing the Australian cinema experience.”
Numero estimates more than 55 million cinema tickets were sold across Australia in 2024. The top ten grossing films released in Australia were:
- Deadpool & Wolverine (Comedy/Adventure)
- Inside Out 2 (Comedy/Adventure),
- Moana 2 (Adventure/Musical),
- Despicable Me 4 (Comedy/Adventure),
- Wicked (Musical),
- Dune: Part Two (Adventure/Drama),
- Gladiator II (Action),
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (Action/Adventure),
- It Ends With Us (Drama/Romance)
- Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Action).
Universal Pictures International Australasia managing director and Motion Picture Distributors Association Of Australia chair Mike Baard pointed to the appeal of upcoming studio releases such as Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Karate Kid: Legends, Superman, A Minecraft Movie, 28 Years Later, Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2, Smurfs, a strong line-up of Marvel movies, and Wicked: For Good.
While specific figures were still being tallied, Australian films posted another average year at the box office. The biggest local film of the year, Furiosa, passed $10.2 million – a figure well below the last Mad Max: Fury Road‘s $21.7 million in 2015.