This list charts the most successful films at cinemas in Australia by box office sales in Australian dollars. An overview of the top-earning films and record-holders is provided, as well as the highest-grossing Australian productions.
Highest-grossing films
editThe following is a list of the highest-grossing films in Australia. The list is topped by James Cameron's Avatar (2009) which surpassed his Titanic (1997) to take the local record. Crocodile Dundee (1986) is the highest-grossing Australian film with a gross of A$47.7 million.
- Background colour indicates films currently running in cinemas.
Highest-grossing film by year
editRDistributor rental for entire run
Previous record holders
edit| Year | Title | Record setting gross (A$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Gone With the Wind | 3,426,000R[5] |
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | 4,437,000R[5] |
| 1975 | Jaws | 4,620,000R[5] |
| 1977 | Star Wars | 6,200,000R[5] |
| 1982 | The Man from Snowy River | 7,821,420R[3][6] |
| 1983 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 11,424,768R[3] |
| 1986 | Crocodile Dundee | 47,707,598[7] (19,772,232R)[3] |
| 1998 | Titanic | 57,713,717[1] |
| 2009 | Avatar | 115,781,489[1] |
RDistributor rental.
Highest-grossing Australian productions
editThe following is a list of the highest-grossing Australian films at the Australian box office. Crocodile Dundee has remained the highest-grossing Australian film for 38 years, even without factoring in inflation.
| Rank | Title | Year of release |
Budget (A$) |
Australian gross (A$)[7] |
Worldwide gross (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crocodile Dundee | 1986 | $11,500,000 | $47,707,598 | $328,203,506[8] |
| 2 | Australia | 2008 | $200,000,000 (US$130,000,000, US$78,000,000 after tax incentives)[9] |
$37,555,757 | $211,342,221[10] |
| 3 | Babe | 1995 | $30,000,000 | $36,797,861 | $254,134,910[11] |
| 4 | Elvis | 2022 | $120,000,000 | $33,486,309[12] | $285,781,077[13] |
| 5 | Happy Feet | 2006 | $132,740,000 | $31,786,593 | $384,335,608[14] |
| 6 | The Lego Movie* | 2014 | $60,000,000 | $29,834,461[15] | $468,060,692[16] |
| 7 | Lion | 2016 | $15,000,000 | $29,563,329 | $140,312,928[17] |
| 8 | Moulin Rouge! | 2001 | $52,000,000 | $27,765,415 | $179,213,434[18] |
| 9 | The Great Gatsby | 2013 | $105,000,000 | $27,385,977 | $353,641,895[19] |
| 10 | Peter Rabbit | 2018 | $50,000,000 | $26,760,008 | $351,266,433[20] |
| Films marked as * are not classified as Australian by Screen Australia | |||||
Previous Australian record holders
edit| Year | Title | Record setting gross (A$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | They're a Weird Mob | 2,417,000 |
| 1973 | Alvin Purple | 4,720,000 |
| 1975 | Picnic at Hanging Rock | 5,120,000 |
| 1979 | Mad Max | 5,355,490 |
| 1981 | Gallipoli | 11,740,000 |
| 1982 | The Man from Snowy River | 17,228,160 |
| 1986 | Crocodile Dundee | 47,707,598 |
Other popular Australian films
editHigh grossing Australian films from earlier decades include:
- 1900s – The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) (gross £20,000)[21]
- 1910s – The Fatal Wedding (1911) (£18,000),[22] The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang (1912) (£20,000),[21] The Martyrdom of Nurse Cavell (1915) (£25,000)[21]
- 1920s – For the Term of His Natural Life (1927) (over £40,000)[23]
- 1930s – On Our Selection (1932) (£60,000),[24] The Silence of Dean Maitland (1934) (£50,000)[24]
- 1940s – Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940) (£130,000),[25] Smithy (1946) (over £50,000),[24] The Overlanders (1946) (£250,000),[24] Sons of Matthew (1949)
- 1950s – Walk Into Paradise (1956)
See also
editNotes
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Cinema Industry Trends Top 50 Films of All Time". Screen Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "No. 1 Film at the Australian Box Office Since 1972". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "'Croc' still tops shifting Oz Aussie b.o. sweeps". Variety. 2 May 1990. p. 234.
- ^ a b "Film Victoria — Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "All-time Aussie Rental Champs". Variety. 6 May 1981. p. 56.
- ^ "Hoyts Proudly Announces The Man From Snowy River (advertisement)". Variety. 15 December 1982. p. 18.
- ^ a b "Top 100 Australian Feature Films of All Time". Screen Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ Crocodile Dundee at Box Office Mojo
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (24 November 2008). "Hollywood stuffs Thanksgiving slate". Variety. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Australia at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Babe at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Top 5 Australian films (2022)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ "Elvis (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ Happy Feet at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Top 50 Films Each Year - 2014". Screen Australia. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ The Lego Movie at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Lion at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Moulin Rouge at Box Office Mojo
- ^ The Great Gatsby at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Peter Rabbit at Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b c "£100,000 SPENT". The Advocate. Burnie, Tasmania. 5 January 1928. p. 6. Retrieved 5 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Daily News (HOME (FINAL) ed.). Perth. 18 December 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 5 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "EVA NOVAK GONE". The Daily News (HOME (FINAL) ed.). Perth. 4 May 1928. p. 10. Retrieved 5 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d "THE RESEARCH BUREAU HOLDS AN AUTOPSY". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 17 February 1952. p. 11. Retrieved 5 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "OUR FUTURE IN FILM INDUSTRY". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 4 December 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 5 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.