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Save Your Legs! posts disappointing opening weekend at box office

Save Your Legs! has posted one of the worst box office opening weekend performances among Australian films released in recent times.

The comedy, distributed by Madman Entertainment, grossed $164,654 on 176 screens giving it a screen average of just $936 despite attracting generally positive reviews. It is the first major Australian film released in 2013 and stars Brendan Cowell and Stephen Curry as suburban cricketers who travel to India. In total, Save Your Legs! has grossed $188,133.

By way of comparison, a similarly wide local release, comedy Housos Vs. Authority, took $526,166 across 151 screens for a screen average of $3485 on its opening weekend last November. Bait 3D, which was lambasted for its tepid local opening (before becoming a surprise hit in China), grossed $365,187 across 283 screens last year for a screen average of $1290.

Other Australian films to struggle in recent years include teen drama Wasted on the Young, which opened with $52,907 across 54 screens in March 2011 (screen average $979); drama Matching Jack, which opened with $261,505 across 186 screens in August 2010 (screen average $1405); and horror film The Loved Ones, which opened with $119,848 across 89 screens in November 2010 (screen average $1346).

The poor result may give pause to the producers of rival Aussie sports film Blinder, which will be released on more than 110 screens this Thursday. The Australian Rules Football film, which stars Oliver Ackland and Jack Thompson, is being released by new distribution company Backlot Studios.

Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.

  1. I know it got some good reviews in the mainstream press but it has a rotten tomato rating of 27%. I think the Australian public have well and truly caught on to the fact that you can’t trust the Australian press when it comes to reviewing Australian films. They either go easy or are extremely out of step with what people want to go and see. I’m not interested in Cricket but even if I was I think I would be hard pressed to convince someone to go and see a cricket movie with me. The trailer didn’t interest me because it didn’t look like anything was at stake. What was the jeopardy? The obstacle to overcome? What was the story apart from the premise of some Aussies going to India and one of them possibly falling in love?

  2. For the very simple reason that no one had heard of it. No, or if any, very little promotion. The old story with OZ films. And the promos should start during production. With social media these days, it’s so easy. No point building a better mouse trap if you don’t have any cheese.

  3. I’m not so sure it was a lack of promotion: Madman seemed quite supportive. There was even an iPhone/iPad game (although a similar game to promote Red Hill a few years ago also seemed to make little impact). What surprises me the most is the screen count miscalculation. If it had of been the usual 20-30 screen release, it’d be the usual non-event for an Australian release: everyone loses some money rather than a lot of money.

  4. I saw trailers for it twice.. and both times thought it seemed in that vein of Aussie comedies where the humour is so telegraphed and aware of its own joke. I think it was promoted reasonably well but if the trailer was anything to go by, it didn’t seem like a film worth investing my time in (particularly with the choice right now).

  5. I was disgusted to see Richard Wilkins reviewing the new movies out last week on Nine’s “Today” programme. He devoted so much time to two Hollywood films and a UK one supported with lots of vision for all three and then finished with a throwaway line “Oh, and there’s also an Aussie movie out called ‘Save Your Legs’ which is also good”. No vision of the film. No description that I can recall. It made me so angry. How in hell can Aussie films survive if this is the support they get from the Aussie media?

  6. Agree with Billy C. There doesn’t seem to be anything more in the story than the lads heading to India for the game. Also note that it is now criket season, and we always get those quirky commercials like the KFC ones, that stars real criketers. They seem more fun!

  7. I saw this on Saturday with my Mum, and there were only 2 other people in the cinema. There were around 700 seats in that cinema….

  8. I saw the trailer several times. Seemed like a harmless extended TV skit. No real point to it; nothing at stake. The proposition that people can’t love cricket AND grow up seemed a bit weak. A few quick laughs. A bloke gets hit in the goolies. Ha ha ha. Thirty-year-olds get pissed and wake up hung over. Ha ha ha. They have trouble with Indian food. Ha ha ha. Snappy dialogue, good enough to include in a trailer: “I just vomited on my own poo,” being the highlight. Not sure why this isn’t packing them in at the multiplexes. If I ever saw it out cheap on DVD, I’d probably buy it.

  9. It’s a funny film. Very entertaining and well produced. It could become a $5 matinee and like CRACKERJACK and KENNY find its audience as a daytime pleaser. It might be worth some cinemas nursing it to life.

  10. “BK” clearly wasn’t looking or interested in this film, ‘cos there was tons of marketing over a long period and including online – and targetted to an audience who should/might have been interested. For once we cant blame the distributor , who went for broke on this one; hell, Madman have probably burnt $750k- $1m in one week on this release. Shame then that the script and film is obvious, immature and goes nowhere, despite years of development by agency, distributor and the filmmakers.

  11. I commend Madman for their promotion of this film over a long period of time. I think many people knows about it, but the film is just not that interesting. It seems when Aussie filmmakers make edgy films, the result is contrived and unwatchable. So they try the bland route to be safe, and ends up with a boring film.

  12. “Paul Brennan” Kenny and Crackerjack got off to a much better start, taking in a screen average of $4600 and $7000 respectively opening weekend.

  13. Guys – Hold on. There is one reason why no one showed up. The movie sucked!!! We don’t need to riff on marketing or blame Richard Wilkins. It was another stupid looking, quirky attempt to make an Aussie comedy. This movie would be lucky to raise a smile.

  14. Yet a documentary called Salute currently still has a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes has won numerous awards, did well at the cinemas on 17 screens, bought by Warner Bros, played in cinemas in uk and USA four years after it was released here and has had no support from Australian industry. Why isn’t screen Australia funding films like Salute?

  15. I’m all for supporting Australian films, but if we support a poor film like this, then there is little incentive for film makers to lift the quality of Australian films. Sorry.

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