Australian films earned $36.0 million in 2007, or 4.0 per cent of the total box office of $895.4 million, close to the 10 year average of $34.7 million or 4.3 per cent of the total yearly box office.
Happy Feet was again the top-grossing Australian film, with George Miller’s internationally lauded animated musical adding $20.7 million to its 2006 earnings to reach a cumulative total of $31.8 million. Richard Roxburgh’s multi-award winning drama about an embattled migrant family, Romulus, My Father, followed with $2.6 million in box office takings.
Greg McLean’s crocodile thriller Rogue placed third with $1.8 million, followed closely by Bra Boys, which took $1.7 million. Bra Boys, the feature-length documentary narrated by Russell Crowe and written, directed, produced and featuring Sunny Abberton, is now the highest-earning Australian feature documentary on record. The mockumentary Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance grossed $1.6 million to claim fifth position.
‘It is good to see Australian audiences responding to such a diverse range of stories and genres,’ said the Chief Executive of the Australian Film Commission, Chris Fitchett. ‘The success of Bra Boys demonstrates that Australian documentaries can resonate with Australian audiences just as strongly as fiction films.’
The top five Australian films in 2007 in terms of Australian box office gross were:
Film – Release date – Distributor – Box office
1 Happy Feet – 26 December 2006 – Roadshow – $20.7m
2 Romulus, My Father – 31 May 2007 – Dendy – $2.6m
3 Rogue – 8 November 2007 – Roadshow – $1.8m
4 Bra Boys – 15 March 2007 – Hopscotch – $1.7m
5 Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance – 15 March 2007 – Palace – $1.6m
Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA).
John Maynard and Robert Connolly co-producers of Romulus, My Father and company directors of Arena Films said, ‘We are delighted with the success of Romulus, My Father at the box office and it is a testament to the fact that audiences are not only watching, but actively seeking out unique Australian stories. Romulus is a film about the relationship between a father and son in a small regional town, but its wider theme of the struggle of the migrant experience resonates on a universal level. Our culture is and continues to be one rich in diversity and we look forward to seeing this strength continue to be reflected in independent filmmaking in 2008.’
Troy Lum, Managing Director of Hopscotch and distributor of Bra Boys, said he was excited by the film’s success. ‘It is such a thrill that a documentary like Bra Boys has been so successful. It is a movie made by the actual community that these boys come from and it shows that anybody with a great story to tell can do it if they have the courage of their convictions. We are so proud to be involved in such a unique success story.’
Australian films’ share of the Australian box office 1998–2007
Year – Total box office in Australia ($m) – Australian films’ box office gross ($m) – Australian films’ box office share (%)
1998 629.3 25.6 4.1
1999 704.1 21.1 3.0
2000 689.5 54.2 7.9
2001 812.4 63.4 7.8
2002 844.8 41.8 4.9
2003 865.8 30.3 3.5
2004 907.2 11.9 1.3
2005 817.5 23.1 2.8
2006 866.6 40.0 4.6
2007 895.4 36.0 4.0
10 year average 803.3 34.7 4.3
Source: AFC analysis of MPDAA data; For results back to 1977 see Get the Picture http://www.afc.gov.au/gtp/wcboshare.html
Further details see http://www.afc.gov.au/
Australian films due for release in 2008 include:
• Acolytes
A drama/thriller with Joel Edgerton, Michael Dorman, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence, Seb Gregory and Josh Payne. (Writer: Shayne Armstrong; Director: Jon Hewitt; Producer: Penny Wall, Richard Stewart)
• Australia
A drama with Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Jack Thompson, David Wenham, Ben Mendelsohn and David Gulpilil. (Writers: Stuart Beattie, Baz Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Richard Flanagan; Director: Baz Luhrmann; Producers: Baz Luhrmann, G Mac Brown, Catherine Knapman, Catherine Martin (co-producer))
• The Beautiful and the Damned
A drama with Ross Ditcham, Kristen Condon, Norman Yemm, Paul Moder, Michael Carman, Zen Ledden, John Brumpton, Peter Lesley, Tanya Wenczel, Jason Turley, Louise Quill, Cheyne Coates, Brian Canham, Keith Potger, Frank Howson, Alex Spalck, David Thrussell, Peter Christopherson, Greg Pakis, and Colin Savage. (Writer/Director/Producer: Richard Wolstencroft)
• The Black Balloon
A drama with Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Gemma Ward, Luke Ford and Erik Thomson. (Writers: Elissa Down, Jimmy Jack; Director: Elissa Down; Producer: Tristram Miall)
• Black Water
A thriller with Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, Andy Rodoreda, Ben Oxenbould and Fiona Press. (Writers/Directors/Producers: Andrew Trauchi, David Nerlich; Producer: Michael Robertson)
• The Boys are Back in Town
An Australian/UK co-production comedy with Clive Owen. (Writer: Alan Cubitt; Director: Scott Hicks; Producers: Timothy White, Greg Brenman)
• Bright Star
An Australian/UK co-production drama with Abbie Cornish and Ben Wishaw. (Writer/Director: Jane Campion; Producer: Jan Chapman)
• Cactus
A drama with Travis McMahon, David Lyons, Bryan Brown and Shane Jacobson. (Writer/Director: Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan; Producer: Paul Sullivan)
• Daybreakers
A horror/thriller with Ethan Hawke, Willem Defoe, Sam Neill and Claudia Karvan. (Writers/Directors: Michael and Peter Spierig; Producers: Chris Brown, Bryan and Sean Furst)
• Death Defying Acts
An Australia/UK co-production drama starring Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall and Soairse Ronan. (Writers: Tony Grisoni, Brian Ward; Director: Gillian Armstrong; Producers: Marian Macgowan, Chris Curling)
• Disgrace
A drama with John Malkovich and Jessica Haines. (Writer: Anna Maria Monticelli; Director: Steve Jacobs; Producers: Anna Maria Monticelli, Emile Sherman)
• Global Haywire
A live action/animation feature documentary. (Writer/Director: Bruce Petty; Producer: Claude Gonzalez)
• Hey, Hey It’s Esther Blueburger
A comedy with Toni Collette, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Danielle Catanzariti, Essie Davis, Christian Byers, and Russell Dykstra. (Writer/Director: Cathy Randall; Producer: Miriam Stein)
• How to Change in Nine Weeks
A drama/thriller with Kate Bell, Ruth Murphy, Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto, Sam Neill, Rebecca Gibney, Justine Clarke and Jack Finsterer. (Writer/Director: Simone North; Producer: Tony Cavanaugh)
• Mary and Max
An animated feature with Toni Collette, Eric Bana and Barry Humphries. (Writer/Director: Adam Elliot; Producer: Melanie Coombs)
• Men’s Group
A drama with Grant Dodwell, Paul Gleeson, Steve Le Marquand, Don Reid, Steve Rodgers, Paul Tassone, and William Zappa. (Writer/Director: Michael Joy; Producer: John L Simpson)
• Newcastle
A coming-of-age family drama with Lachlan Buchanan, Xavier Samuel, Kirk Jenkins, Reshad Strik, Anthony Hayes, Shane Jacobson and Barry Otto. (Writer/Director: Dan Castle; Producer: Naomi Wenck)
• Night
A feature documentary featuring Australian nightscapes. (Writer/Director: Lawrence Johnston; Producers: Lizzette Atkins, Lawrence Johnston)
• Not Quite Hollywood
A feature documentary on Australian genre cinema in the 1970s and 80s. (Writer/Director: Mark Hartley; Producers: Craig Griffin, Michael Lynch)
• Storm Warning
A horror/thriller with Nadia Fares, Robert Taylor, David Lyons, Mathew Wilkinson and John Brumpton. (Writer: Everett De Roche; Director: Jamie Blanks; Producers: Gary Hamilton, Pete Ford)
• Ten Empty
A drama with Geoff Morrell, Daniel Frederiksen, Tom Budge, Jack Thompson, Brendan Cowell, Lucy Bell, and Blazey Best. (Writers: Anthony Hayes, Brendan Cowell; Director: Anthony Hayes; Producer: Naomi Wenck)
• The Tender Hook
A film noir with Hugo Weaving, Rose Byrne and Matthew Le Nevez. (Writer/Director: Jonathan Ogilvie; Producers: Michelle Harrison, John Brousek)
• Unfinished Sky
A drama/romance with William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, David Field, Billie Brown and Roy Billing. (Writer/Director: Peter Duncan; Producers: Cathy Overett, Anton Smit)
[release from Avviso PR for the AFC]