Netflix drama 'Pieces of Her', AMC Studios fantasy series 'Firebite', and costume designer Cappi Ireland were the big winners at the Australian Production Design Guild Awards on Sunday.
'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson', 'Peter Rabbit 2', 'Wyrmwood: Apocalypse', 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' lead the feature film nominees for the upcoming Australian Production Design Guild Awards, while 'La Brea', 'Firebite', 'Pieces of Her', 'Frayed' and 'New Gold Mountain' lead in TV.
The past three projects special effects supervisor Dan Oliver has worked on have included two Marvel titles, two collaborations with Chris Hemsworth, and earned him his second Oscar nomination.
This year's Academy Award nominations are a showcase of Australian and New Zealand talent, with Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog' leading the race with 12 nominations, and further nods for Nicole Kidman, 'Dune' cinematographer Greig Fraser and the 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' VFX team.
With all cinemas in the country now allowed to trade, the national box office was up 67 per cent last weekend, and for the first time in almost three months, two titles earned more than $1 million.
With the Sydney market emerging from lockdown, the national box office got a 72 per cent boost last weekend, despite the absence of major new releases.
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.
IF speaks to Dendy Icon group CEO Sharon Strickland, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace general manager Alex Temesvari, and Palace Cinemas head of marketing Alex Moir about how they have navigated the past few months and what the road ahead looks like.