Australian comedy Kath & Kimderella has posted $1.99 million in its opening weekend at cinemas.
The film, based on the popular TV series characters created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, was shown across 285 screens, giving it a solid screen average of $7013. Including previews, the Roadshow-distributed film has grossed $2.19 million in total.
While the four television series (and telemovie) had a widespread and faithful television audience, the film has largely attracted a vitriolic response from critics. Kath & Kimderella follows the adventures of Kath (Turner), Kim (Riley) and friend Sharon (Magda Szubanski) on a trip to Italy.
Another local comedy, The Sapphires, added another $919,001 to its box office tally, which now stands at $10.95 million. After five weeks, the film is still being shown widely, on 276 screens, although its screen average has now fallen to $3330.
Meanwhile, Australian-UK co-production, A Few Best Men, which is still the third best performing local film at the box office this year, posted a soft opening at UK cinemas. The film grossed £263,770 across 291 cinema sites, according to the UK Film Council, ranking it in eleventh place.
Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.
Australian films at the box office 2012