With little by way of new competition, The Batman easily held its top position at the box office over the weekend.
Robert Pattinson’s outing as The Caped Crusader eased by only 38 per cent in its sophomore frame to earn $7.2 million, boosting its total to $23.1 million for Warner Bros.
Globally the Matt Reeves-directed film, which also stars Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell, is approaching $US463 million. That positions it to join the other four Hollywood blockbusters that have managed to crack $US500 million since the pandemic began: Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, F9 and Venom: Let There be Carnage.
With 63 per cent market share, The Batman was by far the first choice of most Australian moviegoers. The second choice was Uncharted, which also continues to hold well, dropping only 31 per cent in its fourth to $1.3 million. The Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg-starrer has now cracked the $15.3 million for Sony.
Together, the two films accounted for three quarters of all ticket sales nationally, with no other title crossing the $1 million mark. According to Numero, the top 20 films made $11 million, down 32 per cent on the previous.
The weekend’s best performing new release was Bollywood romance Radhe Shyam, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar. A 1970s-set love story between a doctor and a palm reader, the film bowed in third position to $377,419 from 89 screens for Southern Star; a screen average of $4,241.
The only other new title to crack the top 10 was Roadshow’s Off The Rails, Kelly Preston’s final film. The British comedy drama, which also stars Jenny Seagrove and Sally Phillips, opened in seventh with $161,611 from 237 screens, a soft screen average of $682. With previews, it stands at $225,103.
In terms of other holdovers, Death on the Nile continues to hold fourth spot after five weekends, with the Kenneth Branagh-directed mystery now at $5.8 million for Disney after collecting $285,917.
Branagh’s other film in release, the autobiographical Belfast, was just behind, mustering $280,559 in its sixth frame, moving to $4.1 million for Universal. The drama, which is nominated for six Oscars, may get a bump this week after winning Outstanding British Film at the BAFTAs.
Roadshow animation Monster Family 2 collected $253,917 in its sophomore outing, a dip of 37 per cent, bringing its total to $739,347. That result already sees the film miles ahead of its 2018 original, which only made $487K.
After 12 weekends, Universal’s Sing 2 stands at $19.9 million, having added another $144,546, while Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home is on $80.9 million after 13, with another $142,334 added to its tally.
Rounding out the top 10 was Paramount’s Indian crime drama Gangubai Kathiawadi. It stands $943,550 after three weekends in limited release, having earnt another $114,008.
Two new Australian documentaries debuted outside the top 20. Madman Entertainment’s Facing Monsters opened $23,590 from 43 screens, and has made $189,361 with festivals, while Bonsai Films’ Wash My Soul in The River’s Flow bowed to $14,082 from 39 screens, or $23,087 with festival screenings and previews.
Of the other Australian films in release, Ruby’s Choice stands at $114,277 for Radioactive Pictures in its second frame, with a weekend result of $22,543. Another Madman doc, Blind Ambition – winner of the audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival – collected $16,018 in its sophomore outing, moving to $91,499.
This weekend, exhibitors look forward to the Channing Tatum-fronted comedy drama Dog, distributed by Roadshow. However, the film remains unlikely to unseat The Batman, with the month to be relatively quiet until the release of Morbius and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 March 31.
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace MD Alex Temesvari is hoping for a solid opening for Dog after a strong preview screening yesterday. “Our event had a portion of ticket sales going to the local dog charity which provided a feel good factor for those attending,” he tells IF.