Every week we dissect the good, the bad, and the bombs of the Aussie box office world. No talk of box office would be complete without mention of the US, so we’ll also take a look at what’s hitting big, what’s not, and where our refined Aussie movie palates differ from our blockbuster loving American brethren. Let’s dig in…
This weekend, a quartet of smaller movies opened before Bond takes all the oxygen next weekend. So how did they do?
AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE – NOV 5-8
Source: Urban Cinefile
In It To Win-slet: Dropping a scant 3% this weekend (which is incredible), and well on it’s way to being the top grossing local of the year, The Dressmaker stamped it’s heels on all other contenders again this weekend, sewing up another $3 million in the process. Word of mouth has well and truly kicked in for this one, and the core audience seems to be loving the fashionable tale of revenge.
Ground Control To Major Bucks: In it’s 6th week of release and still not out of the top 2, The Martian continues to draw a crowd as it blasted past $25 million total. It’s probably on a slow descent from now on, but we’ll continue to see it in the top ten for a while yet.
Short Chapter: As we saw in the States last week, Scout’s Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse (however good it may be) didn’t click with local audiences either, logging a less than stellar $485k start in 5th place. Perhaps the MA15+ rating prevented some of it’s audience from showing up, and it’s likely to be a movie that is discovered more on DVD or VOD.
Man Down: Man Up failed to do just that this weekend, as the brit rom-com starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell failed to find any audience love. Limping into 9th place with a heartbreaking $187k weekend gross, expect to find this on your Netflix list soon my friends.
Over in the U.S of A, Spectre cast a shadow over the box office, while The Peanuts Movie tried to capture some 21st Century fans.
U.S BOX OFFICE – NOV 6-8
Source: Box Office Mojo
Stirring Up The Box Office: Firing into the top spot, Bond took over the box office as Spectre clocked the franchise’s second best opening ever with $70.4 million. Bested by the over-performance of last entry Skyfall ($88.3 million), it’s still an amazing performance and a testament to the enduring legacy of 007. Added to the $117.8 million that Spectre took in from 77 other international markets, and the film’s cume now stands at an amazing $293.1 million worldwide after only ten days. All eyes will be on the second and third week drops to see it’s staying power, it’s got a one week leeway until The Hunger Game: Mockingjay Part 2 wages war on cinemas.
Not Just Peanuts: Charles Schultz’s iconic Peanuts characters get a CGI makeover as Blue Sky Studios (the Ice Age franchise) tries to bring them to a modern audience in The Peanuts Movie. Capturing an under-served family crowd, it grossed $44.2 million for a strong second place finish, proving their still life left in these 65 year old characters. Local audiences can see what all the fuss is about when it hits local theatres Boxing Day.
More Of The Same: With two new releases doing well, last week’s top 3 are simply pushed down two spots apiece, occupying numbers 3 to 5, each falling under 30%. Totals for The Martian, Goosebumps and Bridge Of Spies now stand at $196.8 million, $66.2 million, and $54.7 million respectively. Nearing the $200 million mark, and crossing $458 million worldwide, The Martian is now Ridley Scott’s biggest ever film as a director, surpassing the total for Gladiator ($457 million) by a hair, with more gas still left in the tank.
Up next week, it’s all about Bond as the 24th film in the franchise, Spectre, hits theatres.
So there you go folks, any surprises? Everything pan out just as you suspected? Hit us up in the comments and let us know what you’re enjoying at the multiplex. Also, if there’s anything you’d like to see us cover in the world of box office, speak up and let your opinion be known!