Disappointing debuts by The Rover and Galore have slowed the momentum of the Australian film industry after an encouraging start to the year in cinemas.
The new releases and holdovers from 2013 have racked up $14.9 million at the national box-office so far this year, according to the MPDAA.
Since IF’s most recent update in early May, Craig Monahan’s Healing and Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook have been launched and rank among the top 10 titles.
IF’s chart does not show 2013 releases such as Tim Winton’s The Turning, The Darkside, Satellite Boy, The Rocket and Adoration, which each grossed less than $10,000 this year, but those figures are counted in the total.
Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man remains the top title, making $5.5 million this calendar year and $7.3 million since its Boxing Day launch. Greg Mclean’s Wolf Creek 2 wound up with $4.7 million, below the original’s $6.1 million in 2005.
John Curran’s Tracks took $2.4 million, a modest result given the mostly positive reviews, Transmission's extensive publicity campaign and Mia Wasikowska’s performance as Robyn Davidson.
The most costly misfire is Stuart Beattie’s $65 million I, Frankenstein, whose fate was sealed after the action-horror film bombed in the US in January.
Hidden Universe 3D, Backyard Ashes, Lygon Street: Si Parla Italiano and Uncharted Waters: The Wayne Lynch Story continued from last year, advancing to, in order, $680,000, $412,000, $280,000 and $113,000.
Set to debut in July are Rolf de Heer’s Charlie’s Country and Zak Hilditch’s These Final Hours, while Julius Avery’s Son of a Gun, Josh Lawson’s The Little Death and John V. Soto's The Reckoning are slated for September.
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AUSTRALIAN FILMS SCORECARD 2014
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Title |
Release Date |
Total |
|
1 |
The Railway Man |
Dec 26 2013 |
$5,532,895*
|
|
2 |
Wolf Creek 2 |
February 20 |
4,731,079
|
|
3 |
Tracks |
March 6 |
2,412,759
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|
4 |
Healing |
May 8 |
424,704 |
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5 |
I, Frankenstein |
March 20 |
388,276
|
|
6 |
The Rover |
June 12 |
344,260 |
|
7 |
Hidden Universe 3D |
Sept 5 2013 |
219,122*
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|
8 |
The Babadook |
May 22 |
218,695 |
|
9 |
Backyard Ashes |
Nov 7 2013 |
170,560*
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|
10 |
52 Tuesdays |
May 1 |
138,992 |
|
11
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Lygon Street: Si Parla Italiano |
Nov 14 2013 |
116,689* |
|
12 |
Convict |
January 23 |
60,281 |
|
13 |
Antarctica |
1996 |
50,908* |
|
14 |
Canopy |
April 24 |
23,747 |
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15 |
Uncharted Waters |
Nov 18 2013 |
23,422 |
|
16 |
Galore |
June 19 |
11,089 |
|
17 |
The Crossing |
April 24 |
10,987 |
Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia
*Calendar 2014 gross