By Brendan Swift
Local action movie Tomorrow, When the War Began has passed the $5 million mark in its first week at the box office ranking it as the second biggest Australian film of the year.
The film, directed by Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriter Stuart Beattie, is now likely to pass the $7.56 million tally accrued by this year's highest grossing film, indigenous musical Bran Nue Dae, over the weekend.
Tomorrow, When the War Began is being shown on 342 screens and has increased its screen average to $14,625 compared to $11,293 in its opening weekend.
It has already outpaced last year's biggest local film, Mao's Last Dancer, which took almost $4.34 million in its first week and went on to gross $15.44 million.
Tomorrow, When the War Began is based on the John Marsden classic and tells the story of a group of teenagers who, returning from a holiday in remote Australia, find their country has been invaded. They are forced to band together and defend their country against an unknown force.
The film was produced by Omnilab Media and is being distributed by Paramount Pictures.