Led by Mad Max: Fury Road, Australian films collectively have raked in $34.6 million at cinemas this year, eclipsing the paltry 2014 calendar year total of $26.1 million.
With $12.6 million in the till after its second weekend (a modest drop of 33%), George Miller’s high-octane action-adventure is the top earning local release.
Some Aussie exhibs expect Miller's film to reach $20 million so the 2015 total will soon overtake 2013's $38.5 million.
Given the upcoming line-up, which includes Jeremy Sims’ Last Cab to Darwin, Brendan Cowell’s Ruben Guthrie, Jocelyn Moorhouse’s The Dressmaker, Simon Stone’s The Daughter, Michael Petroni’s Backtrack and Stuart McDonald’s Oddball, there is plenty of upside for the industry.
If there are at least one or two break-out hits and a couple of solid performers, it may not be a stretch to beat 2012’s $47.8 million. In the past 10 years the record is 2009’s $54.7 million.
The Water Diviner and Paper Planes ensured a strong start to the year, followed by a real sleeper in Damon Gameau’s That Sugar Film.
As IF has noted, the sole major misfire so far this year is Anthony Mir’s Manny Lewis, which starred stand-up comic and co-writer Carl Barron as a depressed, lonely stand-up comic.
Figures are sourced from the MPDAA, current through May 24.
View the latest Australian box office chart here.