Date: 12th January 2001

Australian Box Office Takes A Dip


The Australian box office last year experienced its first decline in 13 years. As reported by today's (Friday) Sydney Daily Telegraph, the 2.1 percent drop was attributed to a slowdown in multiplex construction and the impact of the Olympic Games. Some Aussie theatergoers, however, attributed the decline to a boost in ticket prices. The leading three films for the year, according to the Australian Motion Picture Distributors Association were Gladiator (starring Australian Russell Crowe), Mission: Impossible 2 and -- a surprise -- the kids film Stuart Little. Australian films accounted for 7.8 percent of the total gross, twice the share for 1999.

Source: Studio Briefing