Most of the new releases in Australian cinemas last weekend had bombed or under-performed in the US weeks or months ago, so their fates were probably sealed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Typifying the challenges facing the vast majority of Australian films, Heath Davis’ suspense-drama 'Locusts' and Partho Sen-Gupta’s thriller 'Slam' were released on a handful of screens last weekend.
In the battle of the sequels Disney’s 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' beat Sony’s 'Zombieland: Double Tap' but neither was a match for the third weekend of Warner Bros’ juggernaut 'Joker'.
More cracks are appearing in the previously impregnable 90-day theatrical window, causing consternation among the major chains and some independent cinemas.
Janine Hosking’s feature documentary 'The Eulogy', which follows conductor and music educator Richard Gill as he unravels the truths and myths behind the life and career of concert pianist and composer Geoffrey Tozer, opened in 15 cinemas last weekend.
Many Australian exhibitors are up in arms about the upcoming theatrical releases of the Netflix productions 'The King', 'The Irishman', 'Marriage Story' and 'The Two Popes'.
Is Todd Phillips’ 'Joker' an enthralling masterpiece or a disturbing and deeply derivative incitement to commit violence? The comic book inspired movie has polarised the critics but audiences in Australia and around the world have voted with their feet.
The international sales campaign for 'Between Two Worlds', the Seven Studios drama created by Bevan Lee, kicks off this week at the Mipcom market in Cannes.