See? They're positive about 6th place. Over in the states it's number TWO and everyone acts like it's the end of the world?

AnotherFireflyfan | October 04, 10:37 CET

Wow, highest per theatre average and it was up against five heavy hitters (okay, but Deuce has brand recognition). Very, very respectable.

Drifter | October 04, 10:44 CET

Are there not a lot of people in Australia or something? That's not much money for any of them.

charisma | October 04, 10:50 CET

We have about one fifteenth of the U.S. population (20 million vs 300 million), however we normally bring in about a tenth of the U.S. box office.

[ edited by gooball on 2005-10-04 08:53 ]

gooball | October 04, 10:53 CET

Not bad for a movie that had not much advertising. I bet those are people who are fans and/or aware of the show Firefly (because someone just emailed me about that, a girl from australia).

Mr Universe | October 04, 10:56 CET

Just to emphasize a few points. The 'Grand Final' (i.e. Superbowl) for the most popular football code in two of the most populous states was held on the weekend. In the third of the three most populous states (where I am), we had bloody good weather. We're just coming out of winter and we haven't seen constant sunshine like that for a while.

Couple that with the fact it was school holidays, Serenity did mighty well. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was working and unable to see the film last week. But I'll definitely be going this weekend with a friend who's never heard of it.

Considering virtually no one knows about the film, I think it did really well. I expect to climb much higher next weekend.

[ edited by gooball on 2005-10-04 09:02 ]

gooball | October 04, 11:01 CET

Well, the boxoffice behaves in a different way in Australia. It's not "enter and drop" like in the states, a movie can linger on for much longer in Australia and the box office intake is very good.

Djungelurban | October 04, 11:09 CET

1/15th of the Population
1/10th of the BoxOffice

we Aussies Rock!

tullyano7 | October 04, 11:12 CET

Mr. Universe, what you just described really does sound like it's the BROWNCOATS who are making this film a success out there. CHUD not-frikkin-withstanding!

Ronald_SF | October 04, 11:59 CET

Hmm...
$1,049,530 AUS ($1,111,987 AUS including previews) = $800,373 US ($848,091 US including previews)

From July 2003 estimates, the U.S. had a population of 290,342,554, while Australia had a population of 19,731,984. So if Australia had the same population as the US, it would have made $11,776,937 US ($12,479,075 US including previews). So, per capita, it actually did a little better in Australia than in the U.S.

Not bad, really.

[ edited by deanna b on 2005-10-04 11:19 ]

deanna b | October 04, 13:18 CET

Some random thoughts after comparing the figures with those in the Sunday paper for last week (The Sunday Age Preview section pages 14 and 15 quoting Nielsen EDI)

#1 CM - Russell and he had saturation marketing.
#2 W+G – up 2 places from last week despite slightly lower sales; [in its 3rd week]
#3 Charlie and Choc – holding 3rd on about $200,000 less than last week [in its 5th week]
#4 Dukes of H – down from 2 and $400,000 less than last week [in its 3rd week]
#5 Deuce B – down from 1 and $700,000 less than last week [in its 2nd week]
#6 Yay ****Serenity****
#s 7, 8 Sky High and Sharkboy & Lavagirl have each dropped 2 places despite earning $200, 000 more than the previous week. [each in their 4th week.]
#9 Transporter2 – [new]
#10 Little Fish has dropped 3 places but has steady sales – only 4,000 less than last week [in its 4th week]

The 3 films that have dropped out of the top ten to make way for CM, Serenity and Transporter 2 were The Perfect Man, Wedding Crashers [week 8] and Red Eye.

I'd say this supports Djungelurban's theory that it's not 'enter and drop'. Lets hope the people watching CM, Dukes and Deuce all got Serenity trailers.

purplehazel | October 04, 13:24 CET

Hardly anyone knows about Firefly in Australia, when it was shown on TV it was after midnight and the station that played it started with the Train Job. After they realized their mistake, because a number of fans called them, to tell them, they then played Serenity the following week, after the Train Job. Also they just started playing Firefly on cable TV at 10.30pm last week, the week that Serenity was released in cinemas.

As for advertising Serenity, I didn't see a sigle add for it in either of the two major Melbourne newspapers. There wasn't a single poster for it at my local multiplex two weeks before it was released and even though they showed the trailer in front of Stealth it was the first thing they showed, before most people had taken there seats.

I saw Serenity tonight at Chadstone, the multiplex I mentioned and I was pleasantly surprised that there were actually a respectable number of people in the cinema. This can only be chalked up to word of mouth, I think. Though there was definitly a fan behind me because he was talking about Firefly at the end of the movie, as I was to my friends, that came with me.

Zoic_Fan | October 04, 17:52 CET

Yea, I have to say, I honestly think this weekends takings will be bigger or at least matching than last weekends. (crosses fingers)
Also, I'd like to know if the advance screenings takings are included in that number?

ETA: And I've just noticed they are.

[ edited by nixygirl on 2005-10-04 16:25 ]

nixygirl | October 04, 18:12 CET

Well it certainly was up against a LOT bigger competition in Australia than here in the US. That's a list of big name movies above it, so I can see how this is pretty good.

EdDantes | October 04, 20:34 CET

sorry, doublepost...

[ edited by EdDantes on 2005-10-04 19:17 ]

EdDantes | October 04, 21:17 CET