By their "very different but equally excellent" powers combined, 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer have given Australian cinemas their best weekend since the pandemic began - and for at least one exhibitor, its best weekend ever.
Danny and Michael Philippou's debut feature 'Talk to Me' landed at no. 6 at the North American box office, proving to be A24's most successful release since 2018's 'Hereditary'. At home, it opened at no. 4 and is already the third highest grossing Australian film of the year.
Jason Statham shark thriller 'Meg 2: The Trench' may have opened significantly below the 2018 original in North America, but here in Australia, receipts were almost on par. That said, the sequel was no match at all for the continued phenomenon that is 'Barbenheimer'.
Australian audiences have heeded the call of 'Sound of Freedom' and 'André Rieu's 2023 Maastricht Concert: Love is All Around', with the former breaking up Barbenheimer to be the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend.
'Force of Nature', Robert Connolly's much anticipated follow up to 2021's 'The Dry', led the box office last weekend, marking the first time an Australian film has hit no. 1 since 'Elvis' in June 2022.
'Dune: Part Two' has delivered cinemas their first blockbuster hit of 2024, with the sci-fi sequel posting the highest opening weekend of any film released since last July's 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer'.