School Holiday Cinema Visits Hit 10.55 Million

Total cinema admissions soared to 10.55M between 15 December 2022 – 29 January 2023, as Aussie parents looked for ways to fill the summer holidays.

Around 45 per cent of admissions during the holidays fell within the P14-39 demographic, proving cinema is at the top of the list for hard-to-reach youths and young families.

The main contributor to the school holiday success was James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which captivated cinemagoers over the summer.

The film topped the chart for its seventh week straight and delivered 4.44M admissions in Australia since its release, with 50% of all admissions delivered within 3D sessions.

Avatar: The Way of Water now holds the position of the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Australia and has recently picked up four nominations in the prestigious 95th Academy Awards for best picture, best visual effects, best production design and best sound.

Family titles Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Lyle Lyle Crocodile, both of which were released on boxing day, collectively delivered over 2.35M admissions during their school holiday stint.

Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema said “We’re so pleased to see these solid results from the school holiday period with Avatar: The Way of Water an absolute stand out, overdelivering on our holiday forecasts, particularly with 3D admissions. The performance of summer really sets us up for a strong year and at +27 per cent STLY, 2023 we couldn’t have got off to a better start.”

Looking ahead, there are plenty of new titles on the release slate including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, (16 February) Shazam! Fury of the Gods (16 March) and Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (30 March) set to release within the next eight weeks.

A number of other highly anticipated blockbusters and cultural moments are set to hit the big screen this year, including the third and final instalment in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 (4 May) which includes an all-star cast of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper.

The feature film adaption of the iconic video game, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 6), will be released in time for the next school holidays in April, and Disney’s nostalgic liveaction adaption of the iconic 1989 animated musical, The Little Mermaid will be in cinemas only a few weeks later (25 May), with both films sure to be blockbuster hits for both families and P14-39.

“This year has a really exciting mix of high-reaching cultural moments, quality youthfocused performers, juggernaut family franchises and a high level of discerning quality AB titles”.

These audience numbers and the future slate only demonstrate the strength and depth of Cinema in Australia and puts us firmly back on the radar of brands wanting to deliver guaranteed audience’s and blockbuster brand results” added Burbidge.

Advertise with us

Please login with linkedin to comment

Cinema