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Sci-fi thriller In Time takes number 1 spot at Australian box office

Science-fiction thriller In Time has kicked Paranormal Activity 3 off the top of the Australian box office leading into Halloween.

The Fox-distributed flick, starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, grossed $2.4 million across 221 screens in its opening weekend in Australia. Paramount’s Paranormal prequel easily took second spot, earning $1.8 million across 191 screens – down 38 per cent on its strong opening last weekend.

In Time, which has received mixed reviews from critics and theatre-goers, tells the story of a future where time is currency. The rich live forever, while the rest of the population try to negotiate for their immortality. The film was written and directed by Kiwi-born Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show). 

Woody Allen’s latest romantic-comedy Midnight In Paris, distributed by eOne/Hopscotch, skipped ahead to third position in its second weekend ($1.1 million; 105 screens), thriller Contagion dropped to fourth place ($992,518; 237 screens) and action/drama Warrior – starring Australia’s Joel Edgerton – took out fifth spot in its opening weekend ($706,429; 224 screens).

Meanwhile local films – The Cup, Red Dog, The Hunter, The Eye of the Storm and Caught Inside – contributed $615, 572 to the box office over the weekend.

Roadshow’s The Cup and Red Dog grossed $325,034 and $157,979 respectively, while Daniel Nettheim’s feature, The Hunter, took in $70,121 from 45 screens. Posting a screen average of $1558 in its fourth week, the film has grossed $885,333 in total.

Fred Schepisi’s The Eye of the Storm, based on the Patrick White novel, made $58,818 in its seventh weekend, while Caught Inside, directed by Adam Blaiklock, added a further $3620 from just four screens.

New Australian documentary, Autoluminescent, grossed $18,260 in its opening weekend from just six screens. The Umbrella Entertainment-distributed doco tells the life of influential Melbourne guitarist Rowland S. Howard who passed away from liver cancer in late-2009.

In other limited releases, Ra.One took an impressive $302,599 from 27 screens in its opening weekend for distributor Eros Australia.

Australian films at the box office 2011


Source: IF Magazine, MPDAA