Australian-UK drama Oranges and Sunshine has continued its solid run at the box office this weekend but local drama Blame has posted a soft opening.
Oranges and Sunshine grossed another $521,556 – a drop of just 23 per cent in its third weekend – making it the second-strongest performing local film of the year behind James Cameron’s Sanctum. It was shown across 110 screens giving it a screen average of $4741.
The film – about the deportation of thousands of British children – was produced by Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, who were recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after winning an Oscar for The King's Speech.
Meanwhile, local psychological thriller Blame grossed just $12,330 across five screens in its opening weekend. Its screen average of $2466 was not helped by poor weather in its home state of Western Australia and the loss of one session due to a projector problem at a Melbourne cinema.
The film, about a group of young vigilantes seeking revenge, stars Sophie Lowe, Damian de Montemas and Kestie Morassi.
Among other local releases, Mrs. Carey's Concert has now become the fifth-highest grossing local documentary of all time at the box office. It recently passed the $777,351 set by Eric Bana's Love the Beast in 2009.
The feel-good documentary, about Mrs Carey preparing a group of school students for a performance at the Sydney Opera House, added $56,307 over the weekend for a total box office tally of $853,956.
Local documentary Cane Toads: The Conquest grossed $1467 across eight screens in its third weekend. Indigenous drama Mad Bastards took $5723 across five screens in its seventh weekend.
Among mainstream releases, Universal's Bridesmaids opened in the top spot after grossing $4.14 million across 369 screens for an impressive screen average of $11,236. The comedy has already taken $6.42 million after including preview screenings.
The Hangover Part II took $1.91 million in its fourth weekend and has now grossed $28.79 million in total.
Rounding out the top five at the weekend box office are: Super 8 ($1.57 million for a total of $5.39 million); X-Men: First Class ($1.52 million for a total of $11.79 million) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1.01 million for a total of $25.91 million).
Australian Films at the Box Office 2011
Source: MPDAA, IF Magazine