Low-budget independent horror flick Insidious, made by the creative minds of Saw and Paranormal Activity, didn't quite get the Australian response they would've been after.
Distributed by Icon and made for $US800,000, it took in $363,633 from 136 screens, giving it a modest screen average of $2674.
In the US last month, Insidious – a take on the haunted house story from Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell – posted a strong result, grossing almost $US13.5 million from 2408 theatres, giving it a screen average of.$US5606.
However, horror films rarely do well in Australian cinemas, often faring better on DVD.
The flick, which is produced by Paranormal Activity’s Oren Peli, Jason Blum and Steven Schneider, follows Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) – when tragedy strikes their young son, they begin to experience things that science cannot explain.
In other box office news, Aussie flick Mad Bastards had a 31 per cent fall from its debut weekend, taking in $56,585.
In its second weekend, the Paramount/Transmission film was seen on 27 screens, giving it an average of $2096 – down from $3022 last weekend.
The Brendan Fletcher-led project follows TJ – a hard-edged aboriginal who travels north from Perth in search of his son. Upon his arrival, TJ is confronted by the equally tough local cop Texas. And so begins a story about hard men battling to do the right thing by their family.
Starring mainly non-actors, the indigenous drama has had positive reviews since screening at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and has pulled in $203,596 in two weeks.
Bob Connolly documentary Mrs Carey’s Concert, now in its third week, took $78,044 from 16 screens, giving it a decent screen average of $4878.
In its opening weekend, widely-talked-about film Water For Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, raked in $2,628,730 from 392 screens, giving it a screen average of $6706. With preview screenings, it has now made $3.6 million.
Thor continued to hammer the competition and, in second place, made another $1.3 million across 340 screens, down 23 per cent on last weekend.
Source Code posted $1.23 million for Hopscotch, from 204 screens while Universal’s Fast and Furious 5 went down a couple of gears and made $1.21 million from 273 screens, but still had an average of $4458.
Check out our interview with Wan and Whannell in our June/July issue of IF Magazine.
Australian films at the local Box Office in 2011
|
Film
|
Budget
|
Distributor
|
Opening w/e
|
Box Office
|
|
Sanctum
|
$30m
|
Universal
|
$1,595,021
|
$3,838,154
|
|
Wasted On The Young
|
|
Paramount
|
$52,118
|
$138,724
|
|
Griff The Invisible
|
$2m
|
Paramount/Transmission
|
$66,344
|
$198,072
|
|
The Reef
|
$3.8m
|
Pinnacle Films
|
$58,196
|
$124,764
|
|
A Heartbeat Away
|
$7m
|
Hoyts
|
$44,204
|
$118,658
|
|
Mad Bastards
|
$3.2m
|
Paramount/Transmission
|
$81,597
|
$203,598
|
Source: IF, MPDAA