Aussie films crash at home boxoffice

SYDNEY -- Overall proceeds at the Australian boxoffice reached record levels in 2004, but local films' market share slumped to a record low of 1.3% of total boxoffice.

According to figures released Thursday by the Australian Film Commission, Australian films earned a total of AUS$11.88 million ($9.22 million) last year, 1.3% of 2004's record AUS$907.2 million ($704 million) boxoffice take.

While not the lowest dollar figure -- in 1990 Australian films made only AUS$9.2 million in adjusted terms -- this is the lowest share recorded since the government began collecting data in 1977.

A total of 318 films were released theatrically in Australia last year. The film commission was quick to point out that only 16 of these were Australian -- 12 feature films and four documentaries -- compared with 22 features and one documentary in 2003. Therefore, only 5% of releases were Australian in 2004, compared with the previous 10 years' average of 10%.

"2004 was undeniably a difficult year for the Australian film industry, both in terms of boxoffice receipts and production levels," AFC chief executive Kim Dalton said. "In recent years, we've released about 20 features per year. When output almost halves, as it did last year, there is less chance that you will see a big hit."

American films again dominated the boxoffice last year, with 200 U.S. titles (or 63%) released in the market, taking 85.9% of the total boxoffice, up from a year-earlier 83.8%, the AFC said.

According to the Motion Picture Distributors' Association of Australia, the top-grossing film in Australia last year was United International Pictures' "Shrek 2," which grossed AUS$50.3 million ($39 million), followed by Warner Bros. Pictures' "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," with AUS$33.1 million ($25.7 million).

"These results are extremely encouraging and demonstrate the great passion Australians have for cinema," MPDAA chairman Joel Pearlman said.

The comedy "Strange Bedfellows," starring Paul Hogan and Michael Caton, topped the list of Australian films, taking in AUS$4.8 million ($3.7 million). The critically lauded film "Somersault," by first-time director Cate Shortland, earned AUS$2 million ($1.5 million). These were followed by "One Perfect Day," with AUS$1.2 million ($932,000), and -- with takings of just AUS$900,000 ($700,000) each -- the AC/DC-inspired comedy "Thunderstruck" and "Shine" writer Jan Sardi's directorial debut, "Love's Brother."

The film commission said the local industry is "looking forward to an upturn next year" with a number of significant Australian films to be released in 2005–06, including "Candy," starring Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush; "Little Fish," Cate Blanchett's first Australian film since the mid 1990s; "Jindabyne," starring Laura Linney; "Happy Feet," an animated feature from production house Kennedy Miller, the makers of "Babe"; "Eucalyptus," with financing from Fox Searchlight, starring Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman; and "Wolf Creek," the low-budget horror film recently acquired for North America by Miramax.

"Forthcoming films, reinforced by a slate of strong projects currently in development, provide good cause for anticipating that there will be a shift in the fortunes of our film industry," Dalton said.