With school holidays ending and only a smattering of new releases in the market, the national box office plunged last weekend to the lowest point since mid-August 2020.
The movies are back! All cinemas in NSW can now open at 75 per cent capacity for the fully vaccinated. IF speaks to Hoyts Group president and CEO Damian Keogh and Event Cinemas director of entertainment Luke Mackey to understand how they have prepared for reopening, and canvass their opinions on the current theatrical landscape.
Amid very few new releases, school holidays are thankfully providing welcome foot traffic for exhibitors, with almost every title getting a boost at the box office last weekend.
It was déjà vu at the box office last weekend, with the same three titles leading receipts:
'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', 'Free Guy' and 'Paw Patrol: The Movie'.
While family audiences finally have a little more variety at cinemas by way of 'Paw Patrol: The Movie' and 'Ainbo: Amazon Princess', neither new release were a match for 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' and 'Free Guy' at the box office last weekend.
With little by way of competition, Disney's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' easily held the no. 1 position at the box office last weekend.
"It's been a while since we had a line out the door – thanks to 'Shang-Chi' for providing."
Last weekend, the top 20 titles mustered $2.5 million, marking the lowest result this year - with no title cracking $1 million.