We're not even halfway through the year, but 2021 is shaping up to be a record-breaker for Australian films at the box office.
The Victorian Government has unveiled a new $191.5 million, four-year strategy for the state's screen industry, which it says has the potential to inject more than $1.2 billion back into the economy and support more than 40,000 jobs.
As predicted, Roadshow's 'The Dry' has crossed the $20 million mark, making it the 14th highest grossing Australian film of all time.
Cinemas should have scored a significant boost last weekend, with two major releases in the way of Disney's 'Raya and the Last Dragon' and Roadshow's 'Chaos Walking'. Yet exhibitors report softer starts for both titles than they hoped for.
Japan’s highest grossing feature film of all time, 'Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train', is also proving a hit with Australian audiences.
Crime thriller 'The Little Things' is the first new release in weeks to succeed in knocking Robert Connolly's 'The Dry' from the no. 1 position at the box office.
Australian feature films are currently dominating the box office, with exhibitors reporting a "revitalised" audience appetite for local stories. However, both producers and distributors have concerns about being able to actually get Aussie features off the ground in the future, with the Producer Offset slated to fall from 40 to 30 per cent from July.
Eric Bana and Robert Connolly are set to reunite on a new feature adaptation, this time taking on Tim Winton's 'Blueback'.