Roadshow Films CEO Joel Pearlman has touted the opening weekend result for 'RAMS', arguing it proves Australian audiences are enthusiastic to return to cinemas.
The launches of the Liam Neeson action drama 'Honest Thief' and Australian 'geezer' comedy 'Never Too Late' helped reverse a three-week slide at cinemas last weekend.
Last weekend's broad new releases in Australian cinemas included a US crime thriller that was completed in 2018, a political satire that went straight to streaming in the US, and a melancholy UK drama about a marriage breakdown.
The launches last weekend of Gregor Jordan's 'Dirt Music' and Alister Grierson's 'Bloody Hell' underlined the challenges facing independent films in a theatrical market that is severely weakened by the Victorian shutdown, limits on seating capacity and the absence of Hollywood tentpoles.
While the school holidays are giving ticket sales a modest uplift, the crisis for Australian cinemas shows no signs of abating, at least until Boxing Day.
"You know business is in bad shape when the documentary 'David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet' and a 'Star Wars' re-release are your top two films by a wide margin."
Exhibitors despaired as none of the new releases last weekend could catch the fourth frame of Warner Bros' 'Tenet' and no title cracked $1 million.
Five new mainstream titles entered the market last weekend - but none could beat the third frame of Warner Bros' Tenet, which is benefiting from repeat business.