As predicted this weekend enjoyed a sizeable bump in revenue from the mass release of a series of much-anticipated films on Boxing Day. The result was an increase of 130% on last weekend’s revenue, generating a total of $28.40m.
There were three new entries to the top five as Aquaman, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Holmes and Watson all featured, replacing Spider-man: Into the spider-verse (three weeks,$ 8.90m), The Grinch (five weeks, $17.32m), and Creed II (five weeks, $8.46m).
Other notable Boxing Day releases that didn’t feature in the top five were Vice ($938,039), The Favourite ($876,776), and Cold War ($192,807 ).
#1 Aquaman $11.26m
The latest addition to the DC universe has started off with a splash as it tops a competitive field of films in one of the peak periods of the year. The Jason Momoa vehicle was the only film to crack $10m this weekend as it averaged $17,827 across 632 screens (the most in Australia).
#2 Ralph Breaks the Internet $4.90m
The sequel to the Disney hit Wreck It Ralph has continued the property’s trend of making big numbers at the box office, getting close to cracking $5m in its first weekend. The film was shown on 527 screens (the second most in Australia) and averaged $9,314 per screen.
#3 Bumblebee $2.03m
Dropping to third spot after debuting at number one last week, the prequel to the Transformers series still delivered a healthy total as it averaged $7,080 across 287 screens.
#4 Bohemian Rhapsody $2.01m
This smash hit just keeps on keeping on as it refuses to slow down, averaging $9,912 (the second highest average this weekend) across 203 screens as it refuses to succeed the limelight to its Boxing Day rivals after nine weeks of being in cinemas, bringing its overall total to $41.96m.
#5 Holmes and Watson $1.83m
The latest endeavour by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly sees them taking on the role of one of cinematic history’s most iconic duos. Early signs seem to indicate that this will be another success for the pair as the film debuted at five among a robust field averaging $5,707 across 322 screens.