By Adam Coleman
New Zealand documentary, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls has taken $34,521 at the Australian box office since opening last Thursday.
With a production budget of $NZ935,000, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls broke box office records for a documentary in its native New Zealand, where it was released in April and took more than $NZ2 million.
Directed by award-winning ex-BBC documentary filmmaker, Leanne Pooley, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls tells the personal story of Jools and Lynda Topp – cultural icons in New Zealand who are billed as the world’s only comedic, country singing, dancing, and yodeling lesbian twin sisters.
Distributed by Rialto Distribution, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls opened last Thursday in Australia across 13 screens for a screen average of $2,655.
Despite breaking box office records in New Zealand, producer of The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Arani Cuthbert told INSIDEFILM the film is yet to recoup its budget.
“With the $ NZ2 million gross, by the time we get net receipts from theatrical [release] it is only $NZ500,000,” she said.
“Seventy per cent goes to the exhibitors and then, of the net receipts, the distributor gets 30 per cent. So we have started to recoup. We have also sold to date 22,000 DVDs."
The film had its North American premiere on September 12-19 at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary. A distribution strategy is currently being planned for the film’s US release next year.
|
Film
|
Budget
|
Distributor
|
Opening w/e
|
Weeks
|
Box Office
|
|
Mao’s Last Dancer
|
$25.8m
|
Roadshow/Hopscotch
|
$ 2,754,620
|
9
|
$ 14,553,197
|
|
Charlie & Boots
|
$8m est.
|
Paramount/Transmission
|
$ 810,270
|
13
|
$ 3,847,596
|
|
Samson and Delilah
|
$1.6m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 199,163
|
22
|
$ 3,173,103
|
|
The Boys are Back
|
$16m
|
Hopscotch
|
$ 473,339
|
3
|
$ 1,608,620
|
|
Beautiful Kate
|
$6m
|
Roadshow
|
$ 273,582
|
17
|
$ 1,600,348
|
|
Mary and Max
|
$8m
|
Icon
|
$ 217,176
|
15
|
$ 1,444,617
|
|
Balibo
|
$4.5m
|
Para/Trans/Footprint
|
$ 206,290
|
16
|
$ 1,326,652
|
|
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
|
10
|
$ 284,588
|
|
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
|
|
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
|
5
|
$ 50,996
|
|
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
|
|
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
|
$NZ935,000
|
Rialto Distribution
|
$ 34,521
|
1
|
$ 34,521
|
|
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
|
|
Bad Bush
|
|
VVVF
|
$ 1,909
|
|
$ 3,961
|
|
Salvation
|
|
Hopscotch
|
$ 2,262
|
1
|
$ 3,182
|
|
Prey
|
$4m
|
Damage Releasing
|
$ 1,089
|
|
$ 1,089
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ 32,446,789
|