Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann and Hugh Jackman on the set of 'Australia'. (Image: Screen Australia).

What distributors think about Australian films’ box office underperformance

Going to the movies is one of the most popular activities in Australia, yet Australian movies attract just a small proportion of all cinemagoers. It has been a boom-or-bust ride despite billions of dollars invested in the industry since government support began in the 1970s.

Local films tend to account for just a few percentage points of the total box office each year – as low as 1.3 per cent in 2004 and a...