‘Verity’ Takes Australian Box Office Crown With $4.23M Debut
Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson thriller Verity has taken the top spot at the Australian box office, opening with $4.23 million over the long weekend and pushing Resident Evil into second place.
Including advance screenings, Verity has now grossed $5 million nationally, giving the new thriller a strong start as it arrived in Australian cinemas.
The figures, supplied by HOYTS, include Monday’s public holiday in New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT.
Resident Evil continued its strong theatrical run, adding another $1.86 million to take its Australian total to $10.7 million.
Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast landed narrowly behind it in third place, earning $1.82 million for the weekend and bringing its cumulative Australian box office to $4.99 million.
School holiday audiences continued to provide a boost for family films, with animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Islandtaking fourth place with $1.67 million. It has now earned $5.51 million nationally.
Hindi-language release Drishyam: The Conclusion delivered another notable debut, entering the chart at number five with $1.29 million.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie followed in sixth place with $1.2 million, taking its running total to $5.86 million, while Coyote vs. Acme added $1.01 million in seventh. The latter has now earned $3.88 million in Australia.
Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, made its Australian debut in eighth place, taking $943,000 across its opening weekend.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to demonstrate remarkable staying power. Now in its tenth weekend, the superhero blockbuster added another $838,000 to take its Australian box office to $89.4 million.
Rounding out the top 10 was Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, which earned $797,000 over the weekend and has now accumulated $2.44 million.
According to HOYTS, the weekend’s top 10 films accounted for 83 per cent of the total national box office, with thriller and drama leading the genre stakes thanks to Verity.
The complexion of the chart could change again this week, with a diverse slate of new releases arriving in cinemas.
Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, a companion piece to The Social Network inspired by events surrounding The Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files investigation, opens October 8.
Also arriving October 8 are supernatural horror film Other Mommy, animated adventure Stitch Head, Tad Jones and The Magic Lamp, anime favourite Ninja Scroll and Reawakened Man.
Rugby documentary LOMU, examining the life and extraordinary career of New Zealand All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu, will also screen at selected cinemas from October 8.
Queen return to the big screen with QUEEN Budapest, a newly remastered 4K presentation of the band’s historic July 1986 concert at Budapest’s Népstadion. The film opens at selected locations and in IMAX from October 7.
Further releases include Matloob Aelian and Aadarsha Kutumbam House No: 47 #AK47, while Always Lalisa, a feature-length documentary following BLACKPINK star LISA during a transformative year away from the group, arrives at selected cinemas and IMAX screens on October 12.
Australian Box Office Top 10
- Verity — $4.23 million
- Resident Evil — $1.86 million
- Heart of the Beast — $1.82 million
- Forgotten Island — $1.67 million
- Drishyam: The Conclusion — $1.29 million
- PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie — $1.2 million
- Coyote vs. Acme — $1.01 million
- Digger — $943,000
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $838,000
- Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom — $797,000
Box office figures supplied by HOYTS and include the NSW, SA and ACT public holiday.