Posts filed under 'Press'
Only a mere days ago Australia was given wider international release into countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy and France; and filmgoers have flocked to see the epic over the holiday period. As the movie was released less than a week ago full Box Office figures are not yet available, however Variety is already reporting that the film is number one in Spain with a taking of $6.26m AUD, and doing just as well in France and Germany with $11.38m AUD between the pair. Slightly slower on uptake is the UK where the film opened at number 3 reports The Australian.
At home Australia continues to gain an audience. After spending several weeks at number one the film dropped to fifth place this weekend due to the influx of new films being released, but surprisngly against the trend it was the only film to increase its intake by three percent on the previous weekend. Perhaps showing that a lot of the adult target audience had waited until their holidays to catch the film. Based on AUD figures from UrbanCinefile, after five weeks of screening Australia is now at $25,281,120, which is interestingly still marginly ahead of blockbuster Titanic which took $25.8Mil in six weeks of screening down under. Also of note, Australia has replaced Crocodile Dundee II in the Australian Box Office hall of fame as fifth ranked homegrown movie of all time. Next in line for dethroning is Luhrmann’s own Moulin Rouge! with a taking of $27.7Mil it seems entirely possible!
What does all this mean? Overall BoxOfficeMojo states that as of December 30th Australia has currently made apx $91mil USD ($129,493,000AUD). With this fresh and successful wave of foreign market release Australia can enter 2009 with a steady and postive outlook for those who are interested in more than just artistic merit.
with thanks to: jackson_bay_mystery
January 1st, 2009
In one of the first in depth interviews since the reaction to Australia began rippling around the world, director Baz Luhrmann candidly speaks to Steven Zeitchik at The Hollywood Reporter about the intense reaction from some members of the press, the passionate reaction from the audience and what the future may hold.
Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia” may be doing some middling U.S. boxoffice, earning about $38 million since it opened Thanksgiving weekend, but the director is unrepentant as the movie nears its first month of release stateside.
In one of his first interviews since the movie opened, he sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and spoke out against “Australia’s” critics and those he feels call him the “black hole of cinema.” He also said he will move quickly on his next project, “The Great Gatsby,” which he said will be a perfect parable for economic disaster.
“A lot of reviewers like ‘Australia.’ And we’re making people cry; I know because they write to us,” he said. “But there are those that don’t get it. A lot of the film scientists don’t get it. And it’s not just that that they don’t get it, but they hate it and they hate me, and they think I’m the black hole of cinema. They say, ‘He shouldn’t have made it, and he should die.’ “
Asked why he thought the reactions were so passionate, he replied: “I know what it’s about.” The movie’s detractors were used to movies that were neatly defined, he said. “This is not (simply) a romantic comedy for 40-year-old women or action movies for 17-year-old boys, and that’s not OK with some people. It’s not OK for people to come eat at the same table of cinema. But you look at movies like ‘Gone With the Wind’ and Old Hollywood classics, and they don’t fit in any box.
“Corny Hollywood movies from the ’40s freak out (the film scientists),” he added.
Speaking with THR at the Four Seasons, he struck a tone that was as unyielding as many of the creative choices in his movies but was also occasionally conciliatory. “I’m not whining, because when you do what I do, you expect to be covered in mud. But there seems to be a lot of misinformation.”
Among those pieces of misinformation is boxoffice, he said; Luhrmann noted that “Moulin Rouge!” has been on a similar pace as his latest epic, and that sticking it out for the long haul was not an uncommon experience for him. “I’m used to the waves crashing around me. And what I do is stick to a craggy rock as they keep coming. And if you stick to it long enough someone else will stick to it, too, and then someone else and then someone else.”
(Indeed, “Rouge” was at $36 million through three weeks of release and finished with $57 million, though some might say the production budget of “Australia” necessitated a higher return.)
The director, as Risky Biz first reported last month, also said that he has officially acquired rights to “Gatsby.” Luhrmann sees the pre-Depression story as a wake-up call as the economy comes crashing down and another gilded age, as he sees it, comes to an end.
“If you wanted to show a mirror to people that says, ‘You’ve been drunk on money,’ they’re not going to want to see it. But if you reflected that mirror on another time they’d be willing to.”
He added, “People will need an explanation of where we are and where we’ve been, and ‘The Great Gatsby’ can provide that explanation.”
Luhrmann appeared as particularly interested in worsening economic times and attitudes — noting a kind of glib wealth that came with “the Wall Street trader who has a house in the Hamptons as big as an airport” — and he went on to say that the people needed to take the message of hope from “Australia.”
He said that he wants to move quickly on the “Gatsby” project because of that timeliness. “I’m going to move faster than I have before. I’d be surprised if it’s another seven years,” he said, referring to the period between “Rouge” and “Australia.”
The project also might not be with Fox. The director said he’s “talking to everyone, and they’re all interested” — and paused a full 10 seconds when asked if his experience with Fox was a satisfactory one, before offering a noncommittal answer.
Luhrmann acknowledged his vision’s sprawling ambition but said he was not being given enough slack. “There’s this whole thing about he’s all over the map and he’s bonkers. And that may be true. But they’re unwilling to see there might be a plan there.”
He acknowledged that there are flaws in his picture but noted that when “you make a small-scale picture it’s going to be easier. No large-scale movie doesn’t have warts, just by its nature.”
Ultimately, Luhrmann said, the movie’s verdict will be written by many of those he feels have not yet begun to speak. ” ‘Moulin Rouge!’ was supposed to go away,” Luhrmann said. “Not only has it not gone away, but you can’t read about modern musicals without reading about it. ‘Australia’ will not go away.”
December 20th, 2008
Australia is the #1 movie currently showing in the land down under, despite strong competition from powerful blockbuster favourites such as High School Musical 3 and Bond. With a domestic intake of $9.6 million USD from 12 days of showing its reported that cinema chains are quite satisfied with the film’s staying power.
” ‘Australia’ has probably exceeded my expectations,” said Kieren Dell, CEO of five-site regional New South Wales circuit Majestic Cinemas.
Peter Cody, film manager of large chain Greater Union, said, “It held up remarkably well over the weekend; the percentage drop was quite low in comparison with most big films. We were very happy.”
It’s no secret that this film has an older target audienced, so it is believed the release of teen sensation, Twilight, next week will have little impact on the film’s performance. Good word of mouth is continuing to spread, critics be damned and the film is picking up a lot of repeat viewers, with audience members seeing the film several times.
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source: Variety
December 8th, 2008
December may have only just begun, but awards season will be upon us before we know it. Testament to this is the fact that For Your Consideration ads are now appearing in entertainment magazines such as Variety.
Awards Daily have just updated with two new full page FYC advertisements for Australia, in all categories, particularly Best Picture.
With the use of a smouldering image which sadly does not appear in the film itself (seen right) we think it might catch the eyes of a few important voters!
Meawhile, a big thank you to all who have donated so far! We’re still looking for assistance, so if you’ve got some spare change in your pockets please read more on how to donate here!
December 4th, 2008
Here’s a story you aren’t reading in the Australian press, or anywhere else for that matter. We know media outlets visit our site for information, so perhaps this will give them something to rehash, or at the very least to think about. Australia has been released in Australia and America for 4/5 days now. Plenty of time for the critics to have their reviews printed. As with Baz opinions tend to be polarized, there’s been good, bad, and in between. So far it appears the good and in between outrank the bad, you can read the mix of reviews here.
Have you been to a screening yet? If you have, chances are the crowd were so impressed that they applauded at the end. In Australia this is not a common thing after a film, so it is amazing to witness; likewise we’re told the same is occurring all around American cinemas, already with nine separate instances mentioned on the IMDb message boards. When a complete stranger turns to you in the audience and says, “I feel like standing up and applauding,” and then proceeds to do so, this is a powerful film. Because of the subject nature, it may not be a film that will immediately attract cinemagoers in droves (no pun intended), but with such responses you can bet word of mouth will be the friend of this film and australiamovie.net intends to lead the way.
What’s quite disappointing is to see the Australian media’s willingness to re-report the few scathing reviews from our international neighbours. The Aussie press are not here to blindly praise the film; however nor should they report as though international opinions are gospel. As a small country we do tend to put a lot of stock in what the larger nations such as the UK and USA have to say, sometimes to a fault. We respect our older siblings and like to know what they think. However, if one critic from the UK publishes a scathing review over the film and Kidman’s acting, why is it then relevant for Australian media to publish an article …about this article?? Likewise with tales from The Age about the film supposedly ‘bombing’ in America; here’s an article which used current figures up to Friday when the film was only released on Wednesday. The article also failed to acknowledge that the film made twice the amount that Luhrmann’s previous Academy Award winning cult film, Moulin Rouge! made on its first day out, nor did it mention the box office went up by almost 100% on Friday and should bring in solid figures for the weekend. While this film will not likely take in massive numbers each day, it should do a long and steady haul to see it reap returns. Meanwhile no doubt we’ll continue to be fed a sensationalised and skewed portion of the truth, because it sells and it gets people talking. For as fast as some outlets were happy to put the film up on an unreachable pedestal, they have been just as eager to tear it down.
If you’ve reached this site before seeing the film, wanting to know if you should bother or not. Ask yourself, when was the last time you went to a film and people enjoyed it so much that they cheered and applauded? If you’re visiting our site because you enjoyed the film, then we encourage you to spread the word!
November 29th, 2008
To coincide with the release of Australia Tourism Australia, in partnership with News Ltd, has produced a 68-page magazine celebrating the movie and showcasing amazing Australian holiday experiences.
The magazine will appear as an insert in this weekend’s The Weekend Australian and will be supported with an in-paper promotion and point of sale posters distributed to newsagencies nationally.
A national cinema sampling program from 27 November until March 2009 will see the magazine available at high traffic cinemas and outdoor cinemas including St George, Moonlight and Starlight with copies also appearing nationally in Qantas Club lounges and scans in our gallery soon!
…Thinking of an Australian holiday based on the movie? Visit the Tourism Australia Movie micro-site.
November 20th, 2008
A busy weekend for Australia in the press with large newspaper and magazine publications featuring substantial stories on the film and those involved.
The Weekend Australian liftout Magazine has an indepth interview with creator Baz Luhrmann. In which he talks about his inspirations, trials and tribulations during making the film.
New York Times online has a nifty little discussion with costume designer, Catherine Martin and gives an exclusive look at some early composite images of characters in costume on location.
Script Magazine goes behind the scenes looking at the written work of Luhrmann, Beattie with polishes from Flanagan and Harwod on the Australia script.
Finally, pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weelky, for a gorgeous new shot of Drover and Sarah embracing in a November Movies preview. Baz Luhrmann reveals some more information in the last minute tweaks being made to get the film just right.
Images and scans are available in our gallery. If you know of a publication not mentioned on this site or featured in our gallery, please contact us.
November 1st, 2008
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