With continued paucity of product from the US and other international territories, Australian films remain the main event at the box office.
In a remarkable result, four Australian films - 'The Dry', 'Penguin Bloom', 'High Ground' and 'Occupation: Rainfall' - took home almost 50 per cent of the national box office last weekend.
For the first time since cinemas reopened, two titles have earned more than $1 million in a single weekend, with 'The Witches' bowing and 'The War With Grandpa' continuing to climb.
Queer Christmas rom-com 'Happiest Season' helped to breathe some needed new life into the Aussie box office over the weekend, though most exhibitors continue to eagerly hang out for end-of-year releases 'Wonder Woman 1984' and 'The Dry'.
Victorian cinemagoers have propelled Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet' back to the top of the local box office, with exhibitors in the state further encouraged by loosening of capacity restrictions from today.
Amid a dearth of new major releases, exhibitors are pleased with the staying power of Roadshow Films' 'RAMS', which held onto the top spot at the box office over its second weekend, as well as Rialto’s 'Honest Thief' and R & R Films’ 'Never Too Late'.
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.
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.