By Simon de Bruyn
Outback classic Wake in Fright has made a triumphant return to the Australian box office, with the film taking $25,500 across four screens over the weekend.
After playing at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this month, the painstakingly restored version of the Ted Kotcheff film returned to Australian screens after a 39 year absence.
The weekend screen average for the film was $6,360, which is higher than opening weekend screen averages for previous 2009 Australian releases Love the Beast and Mary and Max, which are among the highest grossing local titles of the year so far.
The film’s total takings this time around are now just under $28,000. While reports suggest the film didn’t have a warm reception at the box office on its original 1971 release, no exact figures are available.
Disgrace fell 27 per cent in its second weekend, with the $10 million film taking a further $152,700 on 26 screens for a new total of $443,600.
Playing on 31 screens, Samson and Delilah added another $104,000 to its box office total to hit $2.4 million, while fellow distribution stablemate My Year Without Sex grossed a further $50,000.
Bastardy also opened this weekend, through Palace Cinemas, although its takings have not been reported yet.