Australian cinemas enjoyed a blockbuster summer, with audiences flocking back to the big screen for a season packed with cultural moments and franchise hits.
From November 28, 2024, to February 2, 2025, cinemas pulled in 13.5 million admissions – a 9% jump year-on-year. Growth was particularly strong among hard-to-reach audiences, with P18-39 viewers and families (parents with kids under 16) both up 8% YOY, driven by a stellar lineup of family-friendly blockbusters.
The standout film of the summer was Moana 2, which delivered 3.07 million admissions, securing its
spot as the third highest-grossing animated film of all time in Australia. This success builds on Disney’s Inside Out 2, which achieved a record-breaking performance as the highest-grossing
animation ever, earlier in 2024.
Moana 2
Wicked followed closely behind as the second biggest film of the summer, with over 2.4 million
admissions to date, making it the second highest-grossing live-action film of all time.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has delivered 1.73 million admissions to date and has surpassed Sonic The
Hedgehog 2’s box office earnings by +29% to become the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Mufasa: The Lion King also had a strong run since releasing in late December with 1.48 million
admissions so far, reaffirming the franchise’s enduring popularity.
New Year’s Day release Paddington in Peru has delivered 1.03 million admissions across its run so
far, making it the highest-grossing film in the Paddington franchise—surpassing the original 2014
Paddington by +43%.
Wicked
The strong slate has also helped contribute to the strongest January box office delivery since 2020.
Guy Burbidge, who is the managing director of Val Morgan Cinema said: “We knew this summer school
holidays would be big, and these record-breaking results prove that Australian’s love for cinema has
never been stronger. The growth across key demographics is a clear indication of the demand – and
it’s only going to get bigger with the depth of content lined up this year.”
The latest SMI report, released Monday, underscores the rising value of cinema advertising, with ad spend surging 8.8% in CY2024 compared to the previous year.
Looking ahead, 2025 is set to be a massive year for youth and family films, with major releases landing before June, including A Minecraft Movie, Mission: Impossible 8, How to Train Your Dragon, 28 Years Later, and F1.
The second half of the year is equally stacked, with huge franchise titles expected to dominate the box office. Among them: Jurassic World: Rebirth, Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, and the highly anticipated Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is tipped to be 2025’s biggest film.