By Adam Coleman
Where the Wild Things Are – Spike Jonze’s American fantasy film shot on location in Australia – has taken more than $1.5 million on its opening weekend at the local box office.
An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book of the same name, Where the Wild Things Are posted a screen average of $5,992 across 263 screens.
Where the Wild Things Are was shot over four months at Docklands’ Melbourne Central City Studios and across 11 Victorian locations including Discovery Bay, Gembrook and Williamstown.
The Warner Bros adaption directly invested more than $57 million into Victoria’s economy and created more than 670 jobs, according to Victorian Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings.
The film has been a smash hit in the US where it has taken more than $US75 million since opening there on October 16.
Bruce Beresford’s dance epic Mao’s Last Dancer is the only Australian film to record a greater opening weekend at the local box office this year after taking more than $2.75 million. Released on 266 screens back in October, it returned a whopping screen average of $12,483.
Now in its tenth week and approaching the $15 million mark, Mao’s Last Dancer remains the highest grossing local release this year.
|
Film
|
Budget
|
Distributor
|
Opening w/e
|
Weeks
|
Box Office
|
|
Mao’s Last Dancer
|
$25.8m
|
Roadshow/Hopscotch
|
$ 2,754,620
|
10
|
$ 14,729,651
|
|
Charlie & Boots
|
$8m est.
|
Paramount/Transmission
|
$ 810,270
|
14
|
$ 3,850,478
|
|
Samson and Delilah
|
$1.6m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 199,163
|
22
|
$ 3,173,103
|
|
The Boys are Back
|
$16m
|
Hopscotch
|
$ 473,339
|
4
|
$ 1,828,058
|
|
Beautiful Kate
|
$6m
|
Roadshow
|
$ 273,582
|
18
|
$ 1,611,501
|
|
Mary and Max
|
$8m
|
Icon
|
$ 217,176
|
15
|
$ 1,444,617
|
|
Balibo
|
$4.5m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 206,290
|
17
|
$ 1,329,536
|
|
Disgrace
|
$10m
|
Icon
|
$ 209,014
|
15
|
$ 1,166,294
|
|
My Year Without Sex
|
$3.8m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 177,522
|
19
|
$ 1,127,838
|
|
Love the Beast
|
|
Madman
|
$ 241,982
|
9
|
$ 777,351
|
|
The Combination
|
$1.169m
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$ 188,054
|
11
|
$ 727,586
|
|
Blessed
|
$4m
|
Icon
|
$ 67,186
|
10
|
$ 455,062
|
|
Last Ride
|
$4m
|
Madman
|
$ 76,459
|
13
|
$ 369,712
|
|
Wake in Fright
|
$700,000*
|
Madman
|
$ 25,446
|
17
|
$ 310,725
|
|
Two Fists, One Heart
|
$8.5m
|
BVI
|
$ 96,999
|
2
|
$ 305,300
|
|
Van Dieman’s Land
|
|
Madman
|
$ 39,939
|
11
|
$ 286,454
|
|
Subdivision
|
$4m est.
|
BVI
|
$ 86,649
|
3
|
$ 206,350
|
|
Cedar Boys
|
$1.36m
|
Hoyts/Mushroom
|
$ 74,793
|
5
|
$ 204,160
|
|
Stone Bros.
|
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$ 22,702
|
8
|
$ 91,148
|
|
The Marriage of Figaro
|
$ 400,000
|
Australian Film Syndicate
|
$ 13,693
|
9
|
$ 87,846
|
|
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
|
$NZ935,000
|
Rialto Distribution
|
$ 34,521
|
2
|
$ 68,551
|
|
Beautiful
|
$2m
|
Kojo/Jump Street
|
$ 22,406
|
6
|
$ 55,619
|
|
Closed for Winter
|
$2m
|
Omnilab Media
|
$ 19,449
|
6
|
$ 53,370
|
|
Prime Mover
|
|
Para/Trans/Jetty
|
$ 8,192
|
6
|
$ 51,745
|
|
Shadows of the Past
|
$ 820,000
|
Summer Night
|
$ 13,927
|
16
|
$ 48,205
|
|
$9.99
|
$4m
|
Icon
|
$ 15,847
|
4
|
$ 47,520
|
|
Lake Mungo
|
|
Darclight films
|
$ 9,730
|
5
|
$ 39,000
|
|
Bastardy
|
$ 260,000
|
Film Camp
|
$ 7,822
|
8
|
$ 37,570
|
|
Coffin Rock
|
$2.1m
|
AI Entertainment
|
$ 9,846
|
5
|
$ 31,312
|
|
Lucky Country
|
$2m est.
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 11,413
|
4
|
$ 26,141
|
|
The Burning Season
|
|
Gil Scrine/Freshwater
|
$ 3,848
|
5
|
$ 21,017
|
|
The Chifleys of Busby St
|
|
Ronin
|
$ 3,760
|
|
$ 13,658
|
|
Crush
|
$2m
|
Filmscope/Odin’s Eye
|
$ 8,304
|
1
|
$ 13,051
|
|
Three Blind Mice
|
|
Odin’s Eye/Titan View
|
$ 2,988
|
4
|
$ 7,416
|
|
My Tehran for Sale
|
|
Cyan Films
|
$ 2,422
|
1
|
$ 6,826
|
|
Bad Bush
|
|
VVVF
|
$ 1,909
|
|
$ 3,961
|
|
Salvation
|
|
Hopscotch
|
$ 2,262
|
1
|
$ 3,182
|
|
Prey
|
$4m
|
Damage Releasing
|
$ 1,089
|
|
$ 1,089
|