It was déjà vu at the box office last weekend, with the top six titles from the previous weekend in the same position, and no new releases ranking in the top 10.
While Omicron has failed to deter audiences from films like 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and 'Sing 2', both of which continue to lead the box office, exhibitors argue COVID fears continue to see titles that are skewed towards older moviegoers underperform.
Leading the box office once again last weekend was Denis Villeneuve’s 'Dune', while another Timothée Chalamet-starrer, 'The French Dispatch', opened in fifth.
Australians waited longer than most to see Denis Villeneuve’s 'Dune' on the big screen, with the film opening to a respectable $4.8 million last weekend.
'No Time To Die' has been in release in the Australian market for less than two weeks but has already achieved what only a handful of films have done since the pandemic begun - it's crossed the $20 million mark.
In a hopeful sign that the theatrical market is getting back on track, 'Eternals' posted the fourth largest opening of the pandemic-era last weekend, behind only 'Black Widow', 'Godzilla vs. Kong' and 'Fast & Furious 9'.
With all cinemas in the country now allowed to trade, the national box office was up 67 per cent last weekend, and for the first time in almost three months, two titles earned more than $1 million.
For the first time in quite a while, last weekend saw major new releases enter the Australian theatrical market, in the form of Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' and Aussie James Wan's horror 'Malignant'.