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Box Office: Beautiful Kate passes $1 million mark

By Adam Coleman

Rachel Ward’s unconventional thriller Beautiful Kate has become the fifth local film to pass the $1 million mark at the box office this year.

The film has now taken $1,143,343 across its 29 screens and joins Samson and Delilah, Mary and Max, My Year Without Sex and Disgrace in the $1 million club.

The other film looking likely to surpass $1 million in box office takings is Balibo, Robert Connolly’s feature about the slaughter of Australian TV journalists, which has taken $651,067 after its third week at the box office.

Meanwhile the Disney-distributed Subdivision has added to its modest opening weekend and has now taken $140,097 after 10 days in cinemas.

While met with positive reviews, Matthew Newton’s feature Three Blind Mice struggled to find a single screen until being accepted at The Chauvel cinema in Sydney, where it has taken $3,664 since its August 20 release.

While most Australian films have struggled to find more than 50 screens this year, Charlie & Boots – a road movie starring Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson which will hit screens this week – will more than triple that number at 181 screens. Other major upcoming local films such as The Boys are Back and Bright Star are also expected to have a widespread release.

The total box office earnings for local releases in 2009 is $11,668,001.

Film 
 Budget  
 Distributor  
 Opening w/e  
Weeks 
 Box Office
Samson and Delilah
 $1.6m 
 Para/Trans/Footprint 
$199,163
17
$3,084,801
Mary and Max
 $8m 
 Icon 
$217,176
15
$1,444,617
Disgrace
 $10m 
 Icon 
$209,014
11
$1,147,002
Beautiful Kate
 $6m 
 Roadshow 
$273,582
3
$1,143,343
My Year Without Sex
 $3.8m 
 Para/Trans/Footprint 
$177,461
14
$1,106,349
Love the Beast
 
 Madman 
$241,982
9
$777,351
The Combination
 $1.169m 
 AFS 
$188,054
11
$727,586
Balibo
 $4.5m 
 Para/Trans/Footprint 
$206,290
3
$651,067
Last Ride
 $4m 
 Madman 
$76,459
9
$358,761
Two Fists, One Heart
 $8.5m 
 BVI 
$96,999
2
$295,500
Wake in Fright
 
 Madman 
$25,446
10
$280,891
Cedar Boys
 $1.36m 
 Hoyts/Mushroom 
$74,793
4
$203,998
Subdivision
 $4m 
 BVI 
$86,649
1
$140,097
Beautiful
 $2m 
 Kojo/Jump Street 
$22,406
6
$55,619
Closed for Winter
 $2m 
 Omnilab Media 
$19,449
6
$53,370
Shadows of the Past
$820,000
 Summer Night 
$13,927
11
$45,490
Bastardy
$260,000
 Film Camp 
$7,822
8
$37,570
Lake Mungo
 
 Darclight films 
$2,390
4
$28,826
Lucky Country
 $2m est. 
 Para/Trans/Footprint 
$11,413
4
$26,141
The Burning Season
 
 Gil Scrine/Freshwater 
$4,865
5
$21,017
The Chifleys of Busby St
 
 Ronin 
$3,760
 
$13,658
Crush
 $2m 
 Filmscope/Odin’s Eye 
$8,304
1
$13,051
Bad Bush
 
 VVVF 
$1,909
 
$3,961
Three Blind Mice
 
 Odin’s Eye/Titan View 
 
2
$3,664
Salvation
 
 Hopscotch 
$2,262
1
$3,182
Prey 
 $4m 
 Damage Releasing 
$1,089
 
$1,089