By Adam Coleman
Spike Jonze’s Australian-made feature, Where the Wild Things Are has continued to perform well at the Australian box office, taking more than $1 million on its second weekend.
Shot on location in Victoria, Where the Wild Things Are took $1,101,416 on 263 screens for a screen average of $4,188. The film has now grossed more than $3.4 million here and close to $US76 million in the US, where it opened on October 16.
The highest grossing Australian film at the local box office over the weekend was Scott Hicks’ family chamber piece, The Boys Are Back, which on its fifth weekend returned $58,910, down 44 per cent from last weekend.
Next was Bruce Beresford’s Mao’s Last Dancer, which took $57,353 on its 11th weekend, down 34 per cent from last weekend and adding to an impressive total that is nearing $15 million.
An adaptation of dancer Li Cunxin’s autobiography, Mao’s Last Dancer is now the 12th highest grossing Australian film of all time at the local box office.
It seems likely it will stay that way with momentum for the film now slowing and with the 11th highest grossing Australian film ever at the local box office, Muriel’s Wedding seemingly out of reach on $15.7 million.
Arguably the last big Australian release of the year is Bright Star – Jane Campion’s ballad about the romantic poet, John Keats – which will be released in Australia on December 26, having already taken more than $US4.4 million at the US box office.
The total box office for 2009 local releases is $32,446,789.
|
Film
|
Budget
|
Distributor
|
Opening w/e
|
Weeks
|
Box Office
|
|
Mao’s Last Dancer
|
$25.8m
|
Roadshow/Hopscotch
|
$2,754,620
|
11
|
$14,828,453
|
|
Charlie & Boots
|
$8m est.
|
Paramount/Transmission
|
$810,270
|
15
|
$3,853,928
|
|
Samson and Delilah
|
$1.6m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$199,163
|
22
|
$3,173,103
|
|
The Boys are Back
|
$16m
|
Hopscotch
|
$473,339
|
5
|
$1,940,148
|
|
Beautiful Kate
|
$6m
|
Roadshow
|
$273,582
|
19
|
$1,617,305
|
|
Mary and Max
|
$8m
|
Icon
|
$217,176
|
15
|
$1,444,617
|
|
Balibo
|
$4.5m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$206,290
|
18
|
$1,328,274
|
|
Disgrace
|
$10m
|
Icon
|
$209,014
|
15
|
$1,166,294
|
|
My Year Without Sex
|
$3.8m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$177,522
|
19
|
$1,127,838
|
|
Love the Beast
|
|
Madman
|
$241,982
|
9
|
$777,351
|
|
The Combination
|
$1.169m
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$188,054
|
11
|
$727,586
|
|
Blessed
|
$4m
|
Icon
|
$67,186
|
10
|
$455,062
|
|
Last Ride
|
$4m
|
Madman
|
$76,459
|
13
|
$369,712
|
|
Wake in Fright
|
$700,000*
|
Madman
|
$25,446
|
17
|
$310,725
|
|
Two Fists, One Heart
|
$8.5m
|
BVI
|
$96,999
|
2
|
$305,300
|
|
Van Dieman’s Land
|
$800,000
|
Madman
|
$39,939
|
12
|
$288,941
|
|
Subdivision
|
$4m est.
|
BVI
|
$86,649
|
3
|
$206,350
|
|
Cedar Boys
|
$1.36m
|
Hoyts/Mushroom
|
$74,793
|
5
|
$204,160
|
|
Stone Bros.
|
$3.3m
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$22,702
|
8
|
$91,148
|
|
The Marriage of Figaro
|
$400,000
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$13,693
|
9
|
$87,846
|
|
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
|
$NZ935,000
|
Rialto Distribution
|
$34,521
|
3
|
$81,145
|
|
Beautiful
|
$2m
|
Kojo/Jump Street
|
$22,406
|
6
|
$55,619
|
|
Closed for Winter
|
$2m
|
Omnilab Media
|
$19,449
|
6
|
$53,370
|
|
Prime Mover
|
|
Para/Trans/Jetty
|
$8,192
|
6
|
$51,745
|
|
Shadows of the Past
|
$820,000
|
Summer Night
|
$13,927
|
16
|
$48,205
|
|
$9.99
|
$4m
|
Icon
|
$15,847
|
4
|
$47,520
|
|
Lake Mungo
|
|
Darclight films
|
$9,730
|
5
|
$39,000
|
|
Bastardy
|
$260,000
|
Film Camp
|
$7,822
|
8
|
$37,570
|
|
Coffin Rock
|
$2.1m
|
AI Entertainment
|
$9,846
|
5
|
$31,312
|
|
Lucky Country
|
$2m est.
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$11,413
|
4
|
$26,141
|
|
The Burning Season
|
|
Gil Scrine/Freshwater
|
$3,848
|
5
|
$21,017
|
|
The Chifleys of Busby St
|
|
Ronin
|
$3,760
|
|
$13,658
|
|
Crush
|
$2m
|
Filmscope/Odin’s Eye
|
$8,304
|
1
|
$13,051
|
|
Three Blind Mice
|
|
Odin’s Eye/Titan View
|
$2,988
|
4
|
$7,416
|
|
My Tehran for Sale
|
|
Cyan Films
|
$2,422
|
2
|
$8,495
|
|
Bad Bush
|
$180,000
|
VVVF
|
$1,909
|
|
$3,961
|
|
Salvation
|
|
Hopscotch
|
$2,262
|
1
|
$3,182
|
|
Prey
|
$3.5m
|
Damage Releasing
|
$1,089
|
|
$1,089
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$32,446,789
|
|
* In 1971. Not including $800,000 in restoration costs.
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Lake Mungo figure direct from distributor Paul Brennan Oct 30, 2009
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