B&T spoke to Stephanie Mills, director of sales, marketing, and content, HOYTS about the diversifying landscape of cinema in Australia.
B&T: The cinema world is quite polarised with big blockbuster comic book superheroes, action, animation, adventure, prequels, sequels, etc & then we have diverse genres such as Korean, Mandarin, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. How has this evolved?
Mills: The cinema landscape today is incredibly diverse. At one end, Hollywood blockbuster genres like comic book superheroes, action-packed adventures, and animated features dominate, while at the other, there is a growing appreciation for films from around the world across all genres.
It is exciting to see such a wide range of genres resonating with Australian audiences. Cinema remains the leading out-of-home cultural experience in the country, and the diversity in movie preferences is a natural reflection of Australia’s richly varied cultural landscape. As our population has grown more diverse, so too have the tastes and preferences of moviegoers.
We are committed to continuously evolving our offerings to celebrate and reflect this rich diversity. In 2022-23, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a net annual migration of 518,000, with India, China, and the Philippines as the top countries of birth for new arrivals. These nations have vibrant film cultures, and we are thrilled to showcase them.
B&T: As an estimate what per centage of Hoyts current box office receipts would be from multicultural titles & how has that grown in recent years?
Mills: In 2014, world movie titles accounted for just 3.1 per cent of Australia’s total national box office, reflecting a less diverse cinematic landscape. Within this segment, European films were overwhelmingly dominant, making up 67.6 per cent of the World Movies category.
Fast forward to 2024, and Australia’s evolving population demographics have driven a dramatic shift in the box office. As the nation continues to grow into a vibrant cultural mosaic, the demand for, and access to, diverse content has soared. Year to date World Movies represent 10.4 per cent of the national box office, translating to approximately $57.5 million so far this year.
Indian films lead the way, contributing 42 per cent of the World Movies category. In the past year, we have seen record-breaking box office for movies from India, with 2023 seeing the top three Indian titles of all time in terms of box office – including Animal $5.05M, Pathaan $4.72M, and Jawan $4.67M.
Content from other Asian countries such as China, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, and South Korea make up 31 per cent. European films, though still significant, now represent 26 per cent.
B&T: What ethnic communities are the most popular & are their subsets within certain countries and languages?
Mills: Indian movie content supply is the most consistent and varied, with the largest titles typically coinciding with major Indian holidays such as Eid and Diwali. The language varies by title, with Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, and Malayalam being the major languages represented.
Chinese films have traditionally played strongly in Australia, with the largest titles aligned to culturally significant events such as Chinese New Year.
This year, we have had strong titles from the Philippines (Rewind and Un/Happy For You), Thailand (How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies), and the Middle East (Welad Rizk 3).
B&T: Can you share a specific example of a great multicultural film success that might be under the mainstream radar?
Mills: There are titles that have received mainstream attention such as Oscar-winning titles RRR (India), Boy and the Heron (Japan), and Parasite (Korea). But there are so many other successes, particularly over the last 12 months.
There have been many hugely successful foreign-language films this year, most of which would be unknown to audiences that don’t speak that language. Some highlights include Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu), Stree 2 (Hindi), Exhuma (Korean), Successor (Mandarin), and How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thai).
B&T: How are the films programmed by geographic location & session time?
Mills: We have 48 cinemas in Australia, each with its unique customer demographics, cultural composition, and movie tastes! We have a lot of historical data that helps inform our choice of location, session times, and even days of the week. And of course, we continue to stay on top of changes that may be occurring in each area in terms of cultural demographic changes. We have great relationships with our film suppliers and people who are part of each community. Sometimes our decisions on where to screen titles are based on requests we receive directly from those communities; sometimes it’s just a matter of trial-and-error to determine the locations and session times that can best reach an audience.
B&T: Are Hoyts leading the way whereas in the past this may have been more the domain of independent Arthouse cinemas?
Mills: The large representation of European content may have influenced this historical trend around an arthouse skew in cinemas. HOYTS is most certainly leading the way today. We have a keen interest in bringing movies from around the world to our audiences and always try our best to meet the needs and tastes of cinemagoers around the country.
