Robert McCall may have claimed his biggest scalp yet on the weekend, with 'The Equalizer 3' shooting past 'Barbie' to reach top spot at the Australian box office.
"You know business is in bad shape when the documentary 'David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet' and a 'Star Wars' re-release are your top two films by a wide margin."
The floodgates opened last weekend with more than a dozen new releases led by 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', plus several re-issues as more cinemas resumed trading.
Tom Cruise proved himself as big a box office draw as any comic book creation on the weekend, with 'Top Gun: Maverick' starting its engine at $13.8 million.
Exhibitors despaired as none of the new releases last weekend could catch the fourth frame of Warner Bros' 'Tenet' and no title cracked $1 million.
Dutch violinist André Rieu very nearly took centre stage on another slow weekend for the Australian box office, with the screening of his 2022 Maastricht Concert falling just short of overtaking 'Bullet Train' to claim the number one position.
In the pre-COVID-19 world, 'Where'd You Go Bernadette?' a drama starring Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig and newcomer Emma Nelson, was launched in the US last year by United Artists Releasing, playing widely on more than 2,400 screens.
Exhibitors are anticipating a blockbuster opening this Thursday, even with caps on seating capacity, for Christopher Nolan’s 'Tenet' after a sizable turnout for paid previews last weekend.