When Australian distributors launch films in the same week as the US, it's usually because they want to cash in on the global hype and publicity- or they are striving to limit the impact of lousy of-of-mouth on social media
January has proven to be a bumper month for Australia's independent cinema sector with box office takings at the 258 indie locations up an impressive 5.5 percent - or more than $3.25 million - between December 26 and January 30 than the same period last
Pundits who expected the RoboCop remake to enter Australia in second place behind the third weekend of The Wolf of Wall Street were wrong- but only just.
Those nine Oscar nominations and generally positive views for 12 Years a Slave are paying off for Steve McQueen's confronting drama in Australia.
Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street was first choice by a very wide margin for Australian cinemagoers last weekend.
Occasionally the Australian box-office produces results that the trade doesn't expect: the latest examples are last weekend's debuts by 47 Ronin and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
The 26 Australian films and documentaries released theatrically in 2013 collectively grossed $38,543,000.
The Australian creative elements involved in Saving Mr Banks and The Book Thief no doubt contributed to impressive openings for both films last weekend.