The 5 most Popular Genres of Australian Films in 2025
Which genres are still capable of breaking through for Australian cinema and what their performance reveals about the industry’s commercial future.
In 2025, Australian films did not enjoy the strongest year at the domestic box-office in 2025, but there were some encouraging signs, particularly the continuing popularity of certain genres.
Leading the pack were horror films, a genre where the budget levels make it easier for Australian filmmakers to compete directly with Hollywood. Together, from Melbourne writer-director Michael Shanks, was the strongest success of the year, making $40 million worldwide. Bring Her Back, from Adelaide’s Philippou brothers, did not do as well in comparison with their earlier hit Talk to Me, but still made $40 million globally. Australian horror titles scheduled for release in 2026 include We Bury the Dead, Wolf Creek: Legacy, Leviticus, Penny Lane is Dead, Ruby Ruby, The Debt and Saccharine.
Killer shark films are part of horror though they have become so ubiquitous in recent years as to constitute their own subgenre. Titles such as Dangerous Animals, Beast of War and Fear Below had a rough year commercially at the 2025 box-office but they were all seen widely internationally. 2026 sees the release Deep Water and Shiver; if they meet commercial expectations expect more shark-sploitation over the coming years. Regardless, horror remains the strongest Australian genre commercially speaking.
The most popular Australian movie of the year at the domestic box-office was a family film, Kangaroo, which earned over $6 million locally. This success, on top of that enjoyed by 2024’s Runt, indicates that while it is unrealistic to expect Australian filmmakers to directly compete with family-skewed Hollywood blockbusters, there remains a hunger for local stories in this market. Australian movies with a chance of tapping into the family audience in 2026 include the animated The Pout-Pout Fish, and Fing! based on the novel by David Walliams.
The respectable box-office performance of The Correspondent and Travellers indicates there is still some life in movies targeted at the older audience, particularly when the release is accompanied by value-added screenings. The Correspondent made great use of a series of Q and A sessions with Richard Roxburgh and Peter Greste, the star and subject of the film respectively. Travellers did likewise with director Bruce Beresford while 2024’s The Way My Way continues to travel the world using Q and As with its filmmakers. An upcoming release, Jimpa, from writer-director Sophie Hyde starring Olivia Colman, is currently being promoted in cinemas via a clever advertisement where Colman talks to the audience asking them to turn off their phones. There are also high expectations for Prima Facie, from Suzie Miller’s stage play hit of the same name, and Warwick Thornton’s Wolfram.
Male-skewed action/thriller films gave us The Surfer and Primitive War. As with horror, these titles performed better outside Australia than within it, although they found admirers. The line-up for 2026 is hugely promising with titles including Mortal Kombat 2, War Machine, 7 Snipers, and Zombie Plane.
The final most successful genre of Australian films in 2025 is the documentary, particularly of obscurer subjects. Examples of niche documentaries that found solid audiences in 2025 include The Golden Spurtle (about porridge competitions), Pellegrini’s (a café), and Signorinella: Little Miss (the story of Italian women in Australia). Documentary offerings for 2026 include The Colleano Heart, Mockbuster and Crowded House (the story of the famous rock band). There are particularly high hopes for the latter, following other popular Australian music documentaries such as John Farnham: Finding the Voice and Mystify: Michael Hutchence.
The sleeper Australian hit of 2026 may turn out to be one in an entirely different genre to any of those listed above: The Beast in Me, a sports drama set in the world of MMA fighting starring (and co-written by) Russell Crowe. There is also the musical comedy The Deb, which may break through, notwithstanding its various lawsuits, while the musical biopic Better Man was considered a box-office disappointment, it still found some enthusiastic audiences, and Australians have been starved of comedies in recent years. Taken together, these titles and the broader trends they reflect, give cause to some cautious optimism for the commercial performance of local films over the upcoming year.
By Stephen Vagg