Australians head back to cinemas through summer

The summer season has seen close to 10 million Australian visit the movies over the six-week run from mid-December, with younger demographics in particular enjoying the experience.

From 15th December - when Wonka opened - to 28th January, cinemas across Australia saw 9.8 million admissions, driven by numerous blockbuster movies including Wonka, Anyone But You, Migration, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Mean Girls.

Almost half of total admissions across the holidays (48%) fell within the demographic covering ages 14 to 39 years, largely seen as a result of family-friendly films, while the appetite is still clearly there for romantic comedies on the big screen.

Wonka has led the charge into 2024, with over 2.05 million admissions since opening. Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was “the sleeper hit of the summer”, according to Val Morgan, selling 1.04 million tickets, with around half a million of these from the 14 to 24 year demographic.

Childrens’ movie Migration accumulated 1.02 million admissions, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sold 974,000 tickets, and Mean Girls, has had 460,000 admissions since its 11th January release, toppling Wonka from the peak of the box office during its opening weekend.

Speaking to marketing website Mumbrella, Val Morgan’s Managing Director Guy Burbidge said the cinema experience gives the movies an edge over other entertainment forms.

Burbidge noted “content is super important, but why do people keep coming out and wanting to see cinema - as that affordable luxury, as part of the family entertainment suite?

“We’re very lucky to have a very strong set of exhibitors in this country that have invested heavily in the industry over the last five years.”

Investment by screen operators in the ‘big screen experience’ and a string of movie blockbusters saw Australian cinemagoers purchase almost $1 billion in tickets in 2023.

As reported by cinema reporting platform Numero, the Australian gross box office in 2023 was $986 million - up 4.4% on 2022 and 62% ahead on the pandemic impacted year of 2021.

Image credit: Shutterstock.