By Adam Coleman
David Caesar’s diesel charged love story, Prime Mover has taken $13,285 since opening last Thursday across four screens.
Collaboratively distributed by Transmission Films, Paramount Pictures Australia and Jetty Distribution, Prime Mover took $8,192 on its opening weekend for a screen average of $2,048.
While most independent Australian films open first in the major cities, Prime Mover took a detour and opened in four regional locations: Wagga Wagga, Orange, Bathurst and Dubbo, where most of the film was set.
Prime Mover producer Vincent Sheehan told INSIDEFILM the strategy to open regionally was a deliberate attempt at capitalising on audience interest in the areas the film was shot.
“We always knew it would play to a regional audience. It is their stories, it is their world.
“There is an in-built buzz in the areas the film was made so it makes sense to capitalise on that first and let it become a publicity driver for the bigger cities – where it is much tougher to have a point of difference and get noted.” Prime Mover will be taken to six screens in key cities on November 12.
In its second weekend at the box office, Coffin Rock – the psychological thriller set in South Australia – took $5,532 across seven screens for a screen average of $790. Directed by Rupert Glasson, the film has now grossed $21,788 since opening on October 22.
Meanwhile, Bruce Beresford’s runaway hit Mao’s Last Dancer has continued to outperform the local box office, having taken more than $12 million in its fifth week.
The total box office for local releases is $29,873,878.
Source MPDAA and INSIDEFILM
| Film | Budget | Distributor | Opening w/e | Weeks | Box Office |
| Mao’s Last Dancer | $25.8m | Roadshow/Hopscotch | $ 2,754,620 | 5 | $ 12,199,947 |
| Charlie & Boots | $8m est. | Paramount/Transmission | $ 809,279 | 9 | $ 3,779,393 |
| Samson and Delilah | $1.6m | Para/Trans/Footprint | $ 199,163 | 22 | $ 3,173,103 |
| Beautiful Kate | $6m | Roadshow | $ 273,582 | 13 | $ 1,561,946 |
| Mary and Max | $8m | Icon | $ 217,176 | 15 | $ 1,444,617 |
| Balibo | $4.5m | Para/Trans/Footprint | $ 206,290 | 12 | $ 1,286,809 |
| 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 | AFS | $ 188,054 | 11 | $ 727,586 |
| Blessed | $4m | Icon | $ 67,186 | 8 | $ 446,965 |
| 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 | Madman | $ 39,939 | 6 | $ 240,956 | |
| Subdivision | $4m est. | BVI | $ 86,649 | 3 | $ 206,350 |
| Cedar Boys | $1.36m | Hoyts/Mushroom | $ 74,793 | 5 | $ 204,160 |
| Stone Bros. | Australian Film Syndicate | $ 22,702 | 5 | $ 83,069 | |
| The Marriage of Figaro | $ 400,000 | Australian Film Syndicate | $ 13,693 | 7 | $ 81,112 |
| Beautiful | $2m | Kojo/Jump Street | $ 22,406 | 6 | $ 55,619 |
| Closed for Winter | $2m | Omnilab Media | $ 19,449 | 6 | $ 53,370 |
| 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 |
| Lucky Country | $2m est. | Para/Trans/Footprint | $ 11,413 | 4 | $ 26,141 |
| Coffin Rock | $2.1m | AI Entertainment | $ 9,846 | 2 | $ 21,788 |
| 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 | |
| Bad Bush | VVVF | $ 1,909 | $ 3,961 | ||
| Salvation | Hopscotch | $ 2,262 | 1 | $ 3,182 | |
| Prey | $4m | Damage Releasing | $ 1,089 | $ 1,089 |