The Australian box office ended 2024 with a bang, wrapping up the year in blockbuster style. Delivering over 13.36 million cinema admissions in the final quarter—a healthy +13% boost on last year, reports Val Morgan.
Family favourites lead the festive cheer
This holiday season, the silver screen was the place to be. A lineup of family-friendly hits and youth-focused blockbusters drove nearly +20% growth across the coveted P18-39 and P25-54 demographics.
At the top of the pile was Disney’s Moana 2, making waves with 2.42 million admissions and $40.8 million at the box office. The film is now the eighth highest-grossing animation of all time, cementing its place as the summer’s must-see movie.
Other standout performers included:
- Wicked: The Broadway adaptation soared past expectations, attracting over 2.06 million admissions and almost $40 million. Globally, it now holds the record as the highest-grossing Broadway film adaptation, overtaking Mamma Mia (2008).
- Venom: The Last Dance and Gladiator II: Both continued to pack a punch, contributing significantly to Q4’s success.
- Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2: The Bollywood blockbuster delivered the biggest opening weekend ever for an Indian film in Australia and globally, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Indian film in Australian history.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Zipping onto screens on Boxing Day, it sprinted to $15.7 million at the box office with 894,000 admissions, smashing franchise records and doubling the performance of the original film.
2025 kicks off with cinematic sizzle
The momentum carried into 2025 with a sizzling start to the year. Over the first weekend, cinemas recorded 1.08 million admissions, an +8% increase on the same weekend last year. Once again, family films led the charge:
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continued its speedy success, drawing 230,000 admissions.
- Paddington in Peru opened to a franchise-best $3 million, with 180,000 admissions, doubling the debut performance of the original Paddington (2014).
- Mufasa: The Lion King continued to roar in its third week, pulling in 163,000 admissions.
Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema, described the strong start as a sign of great things to come, saying, “The momentum heading into the new year will continue to attract audiences throughout the school holidays.”
A blockbuster slate to look forward to
If 2024’s finale was a showstopper, 2025 is shaping up to be a full-on encore. Admissions are forecasted to grow +5% year-on-year, with a packed schedule of long-awaited blockbusters and fresh content set to dominate the calendar.
Notable H1 releases include:
- February: Captain America: Brave New World, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
- March: Mickey 17, Snow White
- April: A Minecraft Movie
- May: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch
- June: How to Train Your Dragon, 28 Years Later, F1
Burbidge said that with no major global sporting events scheduled for 2025, brands have a golden opportunity to align with cinema’s cultural moments. “With tentpole releases like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Avatar 3 on the horizon, 2025 promises huge, bankable moments for brands to own,” he said.
As audiences return to cinemas in droves, it’s clear that the power of the big screen is back—bigger, brighter, and more bankable than ever.