The Australian box office has had another rollercoaster of a year, with lockdowns across the country closing cinemas. Despite this, 2021 saw people flock to the movies for some huge opening weekends.
#1, Spider-Man: No Way Home, $26.12 million
The latest instalment in the Spiderman franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home took the crown for biggest opening weekend this year.
With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, Peter Parker asks for help from Doctor Strange. No Way Home delves deeper into the concept of the multiverse and ties the current Marvel Cinematic Universe to past Spider-Man films.
In its opening weekend, Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in a massive $26.12 million and averaged a huge $23,361 over 1,121 screens.
#2, No Time to Die, $11.23 million
No Time To Die is the twenty-fifth film in the James Bond series. This time around, James Bond is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica after leaving active service. However, his peace is short-lived as his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, shows up and asks for help.
In its opening weekend, it averaged a whopping $13,744 across 817 screens.
#3, Fast & Furious 9, $8.95 million
The franchise has come from humble beginnings with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious telling the story of an undercover cop and some carjackers stealing video cassette recorders. Today, Fast & Furious 9 deals with ultra-advanced technology that can hack into any electronic device on the planet, and introduces John Cena as Vin Diesel’s long-lost master assassin brother.
The movie promises two and half hours of unadulterated chaos just by virtue of being a part of the franchise, but the numbers speak for themselves – Fast & Furious 9 has brought in almost 9 million in its opening weekend and averaged $11,874 across 754 screens.
#4, Godzilla vs. Kong $7.67m
The 36th film in the Godzilla franchise and the fourth in Legendary’s MonsterVerse sees King Kong transported out of his containment zone after Godzilla resurfaces. Humans need Kong’s help to reach Hollow Earth as they try to subdue the king of the monsters.
Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir, and averaged $13,786 on 557 screens in its first weekend of release.
#5, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, $6.48 million
Marvel film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It tells the story of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who is still struggling to live with Venom’s presence. When serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage averaged $10,886 across 595 screens in its opening weekend.
#6, Black Widow, $6.14 million
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, the film is set just after the events of Captain America: Civil War, which was the last Marvel movie that Black Widow appeared in before Infinity War and Endgame.
Black Widow tells the story of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, as she confronts her history as a spy, and the relationships she damaged long before she became an Avenger.
In its opening weekend, Black Widow averaged $10,400 across 590 screens.
#7, Eternals, $5.92 million
Directed by Chloé Zhao – the same woman behind Nomadland – Eternals tells the story of a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years.
In its opening weekend it averaged $8,523 across 695 screens.
#8, Dune, $4.83 million
Averaging $9,198 across 525 screens, Dune is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert of the same name. The current film covers the events of the first half of the book.
Set in the future, it follows Paul Atreides as his family, the House Atreides, is thrown into a war for the desert planet Arrakis.
#9, Mortal Kombat, $3.62 million
Filmed entirely in South Australia, Mortal Kombat is now the second biggest R rated opening of all time in Australia, beaten to the title only by 2014’s The Wolf of Wall Street ($5.13m). It beat the openings of Eyes Wide Shut ($2.55m), The Hateful Eight ($2.42m) and Kill Bill Vol.1 ($2.26m).
Inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise, Mortal Kombat opened to an average of $8,922 across 406 screens.
#10, A Quiet Place Part II, $3.14 million
Directed by The Office’s John Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II is the sequel to the 2018 horror film A Quiet Place. Both films follow a family that is forced to navigate and survive in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing.
Scaring the pants off audiences, the horror sequel made an average of $5,802 across 542 screens in its opening weekend.