There were more than 13.36 million cinema admissions from October to December, up 13 per cent year-on-year.
The first weekend of 2025 marked a strong start to the year, with 1.08 million admissions—an eight per cent bump compared to the same time last year, according to data from Val Morgan.
The cinema advertising firm put that growth down to a strong line up of youth titles and family titles during the festive season—including Moana 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. As a result, there was a near 20 per cent growth in both the P18-39 and P25-54 demographics.
Since releasing on 28 November, Moana 2 has continued to make waves and smash records as the biggest movie of the summer.
The film has grossed $40.8 million at the box office and is the eighth highest grossing animation of all time. Over Q4, it delivered 2.42 million admissions and continues to attract strong audiences.
Wicked defied gravity with over 2.06 million admissions and almost $40 million at the box office. Globally, the film has broken the record of the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in history, overtaking Mamma Mia which was released in 2008.
Venom: The Last Dance and Gladiator II both drove strong box office and admissions results, while Bollywood film, Pushpa: The Rule –Part 2 set records with the biggest opening weekend ever for an Indian film, both globally and in Australia. It is now the fourth highest grossing Indian film of all time in Australia.
Boxing Day release, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, has had an impressive start to its run, delivering $15.7 million at the box office and 894,000 admissions in less than two weeks. It opened to a franchise high, delivering nearly double of the first film and is set to become the biggest film in the franchise.
In the first weekend of 2025 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 topped the charts with 230,000 admissions, followed by Paddington in Peru, which delivered 180,000 admissions and achieved the franchise’s biggest box office opening weekend result of $3 million—more than double the opening of the original Paddington from 2014. Mufasa: The Lion King also delivered 163,000 admits across its third week in cinemas.
“The success of Q4 and last weekend’s box office results by Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Paddington in Peru, and Mufasa: The Lion King, has created solid momentum heading into the new year and will continue to attract strong audiences throughout the remainder of the school holidays,” said Guy Burbidge, MD of Val Morgan Cinema.
Looking ahead, 2025 is set to deliver a slate that has never been bigger, driven by an extensive stockpile of franchise and original content from the writers’ strikes, with a forecasted five per cent increase in total admissions throughout the year. Burbidge also noted that with the absence of major global sporting events throughout 2025, brands have the opportunity to leverage Cinema as the key channel to tap into cultural moments.
“2025 is set to have some big moments across key audiences like Family, Youth & NEOs with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy on Valentine’s Day, A Minecraft Movie in April, the final instalment of Mission Impossible 8 in May, the third film in the cult classic 28 Years Later in mid-June, and then F1 at the end of June.
“With Avatar 3 rounding out the year, it’s clear the slate promises to deliver a range of huge, bankable moments for brands to own” he added.
A glimpse into the H1 2025 slate:
– Captain America: Brave New World – 13 February
– Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – 13 February
– Mickey 17 – 6 March
– Snow White – 20 March
– A Minecraft Movie – 3 April
– Thunderbolts* – 1 May
– Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – 22 May
– Lilo & Stitch – 22 May
– How to Train Your Dragon – 12 June
– 28 Years Later – 19 June
– F1 – 26 June
