Shazam! Fury of the Gods may have been no. 1 at the box office last weekend, but audiences appear to...
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'.
The box office had a much-needed refresh last weekend by way of Julia Roberts and George Clooney rom-com 'Ticket to Paradise' and 'DC League of Super-Pets', and to a lesser extent, 'Moonage Daydream' and 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'.
Despite school holidays, last weekend proved relatively quiet at the movies, with cinemas still shut in Sydney and other parts of the country.
Roadshow will launch Robert Connolly's 'The Dry' on January 1 and Glendyn Ivin's 'Penguin Bloom' on January 21, raising exhibitors' hopes of a strong start to the year on the proviso that a raft of Hollywood titles are not postponed.
WB's 'Godzilla vs. Kong' has posted the highest opening weekend of any film post-COVID, in a hopeful sign that audiences are ready to come back to cinemas for blockbusters.
Just over a week ago 'F9' revved into cinemas, posting the highest opening weekend since the pandemic began. Many exhibitors were then excited about the further promise of school holidays and two other upcoming major releases in 'The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard' and 'In The Heights'.
But what a difference a week can make, with new outbreaks of the virus impacting cinemas across the country and disrupting the market.
Since cinemas reopened around the country, there was one film in particular that exhibitors were banking on to lure audiences back to theatres: 'No Time To Die'.