By Brendan Swift
Oscar-touted drama The King’s Speech has grossed almost $460,000 at preview screenings ahead of its local release on Boxing Day.
The film, which is officially a UK production but has strong Australian connections thanks to the involvement of producers Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, tells the story of King George VI (Colin Firth), who seeks the help of unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) in an attempt to overcome his stammer.
The film has already grossed $US2.92 million in the United States, where it was released on November 26, across 43 theatres, according to Box Office Mojo.
It was also recently nominated for seven Golden Globe awards – the most of any film this year – including a nod to actor Geoffrey Rush for best supporting actor.
The Australian previews were held across 93 screens giving the film a healthy screen average of $4938, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
The film is being distributed by Paramount Pictures Australia and Transmission Films.