Kenneth Branagh’s sumptuous fairy tale Cinderella has enchanted Australian audiences over the weekend.
The tale as old as time (starring Lily James in the title role and our own Cate Blanchett as her wicked stepmother) scooped $4,321,814 over 271 screens in its opening weekend, which, including previews, takes its Australian box office to $4,757,185 thus far.
Unsurprisingly distributed by Disney, Branagh’s take on the magical fare has avoided the darkness of the Grimm version to deliver what The Guardian has described as “straight-faced sentimentality” with an “unfashionable absence of post-Enchanted irony.” Not that that’s a bad thing – The Daily Mail hails the production as “witty, charming and a delight for little girls everywhere.”
Dystopian teen drama Insurgent fell by an average of 51 per cent in its second week of release, taking $2,073,925 over 269 screens. Distributed by eOne, the action-packed sequel to Divergent has amassed an Aus box office taking of $7,108.432.
Warner Bros banked on the pairing of Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart in Get Hard to draw audiences and it seems to have worked despite largely mediocre reviews (the film currently has a 31 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
Get Hard follows the plight of a hedge fund manager (Ferrell) who, when sentenced to jail time, seeks the advice of black businessman (Hart) on how to survive life behind bars – despite the fact he has never been in prison.
The comedy took $1,756,286 over 156 locations in its opening weekend, with an average per-screen gross of $11,331, according to a report released by Rentrak.
Computer-animated buddy comedy Home continued to capture the imaginations of younger audiences, taking $,1,646,776 across 255 screens in its second week. Distributed by Fox, the DreamWorks animation has proved to be a surprise hit in the US and stars Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Steve Martin.
Warner Bros’ Focus slipped a little in its fourth week but still took a solid $587,514 across 213 screens. The con artist caper, which stars Will Smith and Australia’s Margot Robbie, has so far amassed $7,972,688 at the Australian box office.
Fox’s The Second Best Marigold Hotel also continues to perform in its fifth week, taking $576,742 across 270 screens. The sequel to 2011’s surprise hit The Best Marigold Hotel has raked in $14,315,608 in Aus so far.
Children’s animation Shaun the Sheep fared well in its debut weekend, with a gross of $532,205 across 226 locations. Including previews, the family pic has so far taken $727,957 in Australia.
Based on the popular British television series, Shaun the Sheep Movie follows Shaun’s adventures into town when he decides to take a day off. It is distributed by StudioCanal.
Indicating a promising opening, previews of Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out of Water were still enough to land the family feature in the box office top ten. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, the animation took $447,882 in preview screenings in 218 locations, with a total so far of $486,382.
Warner Bros’ Run All Night slipped to ninth spot in its second week of release, taking $310,258 across 175 screens. The Liam Neeson action flick has amassed $1,336,412 in Australian cinemas so far.
Sony’s sci-fi Chappie rounds out the top ten with $271,226 over 232 locations in its third week, taking its Aus box office total to $2,921,496.
In a positive note for Australian documentary, Damon Gateau’s That Sugar Film is nearing the magic $1 million, with $826,906 taken in Australian cinemas so far. The feature, which explores the effects sugar has on the normally sugar-free Gateau’s health, is distributed by Madman and has been in cinemas for five weeks.