334* Australian films (extended list)
by dfle3 | created - 13 Jan 2014 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicNot to be confused with my non-poll related original list of Australian movies which I rate or are reminders for me to watch:
http://www.imdb.com/list/DzjzMdh1q-c/
I'm adding today (02/05/2014) box office results for these films via information from Wikipedia. I'll try and add data about how many AFI (i.e. Australian Film Institute) Awards some of these films got as well...but I won't be fanatical about this.
N.B. The A.F.I. Awards are now knows as AACTA Awards! Wikipedia states:
"The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Awards".
Hopefully the following URLs are useful for people looking for box office information on Australian movies:
Various all time box office records:
http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/research/statistics/boxoffice.aspx
http://www.mpdaa.org.au/customers/mpdaa/mpdaa.nsf/HistoricalBoxOffice?ReadForm
http://www.moviemarshal.com.au/
Current weekly box office results and archives from early 1997:
http://www.urbancinefile.com/home/boxoffice.asp
Weekend and yearly takings from 2000 onwards:
http://boxofficemojo.com/intl/australia/
Year on year total admissions and total box office results:
http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/research/statistics/wcboadmission.aspx
I initially started out giving Wikipedia box office results in Australia for a small number of films but am now using the Screen Australia link for top 100 Australian movies of all time box office returns...which I think Wikipedia maybe citing in any case. The all time box office ranking also comes via Screen Australia's list of the top 100 grossing Australian movies of all time, in Australia.
*N.B. I should point out that the order of box office takings films would no doubt change once you adjust for inflation...which these rankings aren't...see an example of this in my entry for "Crocodile Dundee".
AFI Best film winners and nominees:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AACTA_Award_for_Best_Film#Winners_and_nominees
Related sites:
http://www.ozmovies.com.au/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_films
[P.S. I've added the number to my list heading as sporting cultural reference. One of these days I'll work on this list to make it 'end' with that number of films in it but to do that I'll probably have to remove some titles and mention them in other titles, e.g. where the removed film was a sequel and I mention all sequels in the entry for the first in the series. Maybe a good final list is one that ends for the year 2025 with all Australian best film award winners included. N.B. IMDB's "Save list order" feature is a troll when it comes to tinkering with the order to alphebatise it.]
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1. 27A (1974)
86 min | Drama
A middle-aged "metho" drinker joins Alcoholics Anonymous and undergoes a psychiatric examination. As a consequence, he is committed to a hospital for the criminally insane, to be detained ... See full summary »
Director: Esben Storm | Stars: Bill Hunter, Robert McDarra, David Curtiss, Haydn Keenan
Votes: 48
Wikipedia states:
1974 AFI Winner Best film
Budget: A$36,000
The film is a about an alcoholic who voluntarily submits himself for psychiatric treatment instead of serving a prison term over a minor criminal offence. "27A" is a section of the Queensland Mental Health Act at the time which allows institutions to keep people in care until they are fit for release.
2. 100 Bloody Acres (2012)
Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Horror
Reg and Lindsay run an organic fertiliser business. They need a fresh supply of their "secret ingredient" to process through the meat grinder. Reg comes across two guys and a girl with a broken-down vehicle on their way to a music festival.
Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes | Stars: Oliver Ackland, Paul Blackwell, Ward Everaardt, Iain Herridge
Votes: 4,551 | Gross: $0.01M
3. 40,000 Horsemen (1940)
Approved | 100 min | Drama, History, War
Three young Australians join the army at the beginning of World War I and are assigned to the Australian Light Horse cavalry, which is serving in Palestine. The three eventually take part ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Chauvel | Stars: Grant Taylor, Betty Bryant, Chips Rafferty, Pat Twohill
Votes: 236
Wikipedia states:
"It was a massive success at the box office, grossing £10,000 within its first three weeks of release, enabling Famous Features Ltd to buy out the interest of the New South Wales government for £15,000. The film was seen by 287,000 in Sydney alone during a ten-week run on first release.
Female lead Betty Bryant was sent to Singapore for the film's premiere in June 1941. While there she met MGM executive Mauriece Silverstein who she would later marry, leading to her retirement from acting" and:
Budget: £30,000
Box office: £130,000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Australia#Other_popular_Australian_films
4. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy
Young Australian, Barry McKenzie, travels to England with his Aunt Edna after his father dies and a request is revealed in his will.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Dick Bentley, Peter Cook
Votes: 923
Followed by its sequel "Barry McKenzie holds his own" (1974).
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$250,000
"This was the first Australian film to surpass $1 million at the national box office, and it led the Australian box office in 1972. The film recovered its $250,000 budget within a few months after release".
5. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Music
Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
Director: Stephan Elliott | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Rebel Penfold-Russell
Votes: 54,862 | Gross: $11.22M
Australian box office: A$16,459,245
#12 Australian movie of all time by box office gross in Australia.
6. All This Mayhem (2014)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Brothers Tas and Ben Pappas become the kings of professional skateboarding, but their hedonistic ways lead to a hard fall from grace.
Director: Eddie Martin | Stars: Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas, Tommy Caudill, Lance Conklin
Votes: 3,781
Saw this discussed on At The Movies this week (2nd week of July, with Judith Lucy and Jason Di Rosso filling in for Margaret and David). Sounds very interesting...about two brothers from Australia who were ranked #1 and #2 in the world of skateboarding and rivals to Tony Hawk. Apparently it's a Shakespearean tale to be told about them!
7. Alvin Purple (1973)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Romance
Waterbed salesman Alvin consults a psychiatrist about his irresistibilty to women.
Director: Tim Burstall | Stars: Graeme Blundell, Abigail, Lynette Curran, Christine Amor
Votes: 663
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$202,000
Box office: A$4,720,000
"The film was a massive success and took $4,720,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $36,721,600 in 2009 dollars. This is 7th highest grossing Australian film of all time when adjusted for inflation" and
"It was accompanied on release by a 48 minute promotional documentary Inside Alvin Purple directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith.This film was pulled from screening due to censorship concerns but was passed after some cuts had been made".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Australia#Other_popular_Australian_films
8. Alvin Rides Again (1974)
89 min | Comedy
Alvin Purple, the world's most unlikely sex symbol stumbles from woman to woman and job to job in this zany, sexy Australian comedy.
Directors: David Bilcock, Robin Copping | Stars: Graeme Blundell, Alan Finney, Gus Mercurio, Noel Ferrier
Votes: 236
See "Melvin, son of Alvin" for the next in this series.
9. Angel Baby (1995)
R | 105 min | Drama, Romance
Two schizophrenics meet during therapy and fall passionately in love. Ahead of them lies the inevitable road to disaster - one they share to the end.
Director: Michael Rymer | Stars: John Lynch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Colin Friels, Deborra-Lee Furness
Votes: 1,548
Wikipedia states:
1995 AFI Winner Best film
Budget: A$3.5 million
Box office: A$1,070,726
10. Animal Kingdom (2010)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seventeen-year-old navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.
Director: David Michôd | Stars: James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, Bryce Lindemann
Votes: 60,414 | Gross: $1.04M
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$5 million
Box office: A$6,019,846
2010 AFI Winner: Best film; Best actress, Jackie Weaver; Best supporting actor, Joel Edgerton;
Won numerous international awards too, including many for Jackie Weaver.
11. A Test of Love (1984)
PG | 96 min | Drama
Due to an ignorant misdiagnosis, a three-year-old disabled girl was institutionalized and subsequently spent her entire childhood in a hospital for the severely retarded. A caring therapist helped her to prove her intellectual capability.
Director: Gil Brealey | Stars: Angela Punch McGregor, Drew Forsythe, Liddy Clark, Monica Maughan
Votes: 184
Wikipedia states:
1984 AFI Winner Best film
Budget: under A$1 million
A.k.a. "A test of love".
Based on a true story about a woman with a disability.
12. Any Questions for Ben? (2012)
114 min | Comedy, Romance
For Ben, life couldn't be better. A well paid job, friends, parties, girls and nothing to tie him down. But when he is invited back to his high school for a speaking engagement, he starts to reassess the direction his life is headed in.
Director: Rob Sitch | Stars: Josh Lawson, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Henshall, Felicity Ward
Votes: 1,776
Another Working Dog production.
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$11,000,000
Box office: A$2,839,714
13. Arctic Blast (2010)
92 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When a solar eclipse sends a colossal blast of super chilled air towards the earth, it then sets off a catastrophic chain of events that threatens to engulf the world in ice and begin a new Ice Age.
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith | Stars: Michael Shanks, Alexandra Davies, Saskia Hampele, Indiana Evans
Votes: 4,032
Brian Trenchard-Smith film.
Co-production with Canada.
Did not include BTS's previous film "In her line of fire" (2006) as it's a U.S. production.
Subsequent films mentioned in Wikipedia are either U.S. produced or tv movies or don't have linked articles. As of today (03/06/2014) those films are:
The cabin (2011, tv movie)
Absolute deception (2013, U.S.)
Drive hard (2014)
Antony I. Ginnane produced this Australia/Canada co-production according to Wikipedia.
His previous film was the UK film "Ten dead men" which was the sequel to "Left for dead". He executive produced that film.
14. The Assigned Servant (1911)
44 min | Short
Director: Jack Gavin | Stars: Agnes Gavin, Jack Gavin, Sid Harrison, Dore Kurtz
According to Wikipedia a silent, "lost" film with a budget of:
£300
15. At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture (1983)
89 min | Comedy
A small town mayor rigs an election with hilarious and unpredictable results. A comedy extravaganza starring some of the biggest names in Australian showbiz in the most unlikely and wackiest roles.
Director: Simon Heath | Stars: Angry Anderson, Gordon Elliott, John Farnham, Derryn Hinch
Votes: 39
16. Attack Force Z (1981)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Drama, History
A group of Australian commandos launch a secret mission against Japanese forces in World War II.
Director: Tim Burstall | Stars: John Phillip Law, Mel Gibson, Sam Neill, Chris Haywood
Votes: 2,715
[Maybe it was this week or the week before - today is 19/06/2014 - ABC TV had a story on this real life commando unit from World War II. Might have been on a programme like "Australian story"...or a one off documentary on this topic.]
17. Australia (2008)
PG-13 | 165 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In 1939, an Englishwoman inherits a sprawling ranch in northern Australia and reluctantly makes a pact with a stockman to drive 2000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Shea Adams, Eddie Baroo
Votes: 129,652 | Gross: $49.55M
From Screen Australia link at top,
Australian box office: A$37,555,757 (Australian take in Australian dollars)
#2 Australian film (all time).
18. The Babadook (2014)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.
Director: Jennifer Kent | Stars: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney
Votes: 246,711 | Gross: $0.92M
If I'm reading Wikipedia correctly, this film was equal winner of:
2014 AACTA Winner Best Film (along with "The water diviner")
Wikipedia states that this film was critically acclaimed and earned:
Budget: $2 million
Box office: $5.4 million
19. BabaKiueria (1986 TV Movie)
29 min | Comedy, Drama
Role reversal study of the historically inaccurate "plight" of Australian Aborigines in modern Anglo-Saxon society. Indigenous "whities" [sic] are being persecuted by racist black people ... See full summary »
Director: Don Featherstone | Stars: Michelle Torres, Bob Maza, Kevin Smith, Cecily Polson
Votes: 238
Wikipedia states:
"The film won the 1987 United Nations Media Peace Prize".
20. Babe (1995)
G | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?
Director: Chris Noonan | Stars: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Christine Cavanaugh, Miriam Margolyes
Votes: 133,902 | Gross: $66.60M
S.A. figures:
Australian box office: A$36,776,544
#3 Australian film (all time).
21. Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
PG | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Babe, fresh from his victory in the sheepherding contest, returns to Farmer Hoggett's farm, but after Farmer Hoggett is injured and unable to work, Babe has to go to the big city to save the farm.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Magda Szubanski, Elizabeth Daily, Mickey Rooney, James Cromwell
Votes: 35,411 | Gross: $18.32M
22. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane
Votes: 14,994
Wikipedia states:
Budget: USD$750,000
Box office: A$808,789
AFI Winner: Best director; Best lead actor, Nicholas Hope; Others
23. Bad Eggs (2003)
98 min | Comedy, Thriller
Ben Kinnear and Mike Paddock are two undercover detectives with way too much publicity.
Director: Tony Martin | Stars: Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Judith Lucy, Alan Brough
Votes: 1,770
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$4.5 million
Box office: A$2,317,820
24. Bait (III) (2012)
R | 93 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
A freak tsunami traps shoppers at a coastal Australian supermarket inside the building - along with 12-foot Great White Sharks.
Director: Kimble Rendall | Stars: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Adrian Pang, Yuwu Qi
Votes: 19,404
25. Balibo (2009)
Not Rated | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
War correspondent Roger East and the young Jose Ramos-Horta travel to East Timor to investigate the murders of the Balibo Five in 1975.
Director: Robert Connolly | Stars: Jane Hampson, Bea Viegas, Christine Martins, Ana Rosa Mendoça
Votes: 2,920
Based on a true story.
Australian box office: A$1,330,863
26. Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974)
93 min | Comedy
Barry McKenzie's Aunt Edna is kidnapped by Count Von Plasma, the vampire head of an isolated Eastern European dictatorship who mistakes her for the Queen of England and thinks that ... See full summary »
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Donald Pleasence, Ed Devereaux
Votes: 293
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$450,000
Box office: A$1,407,000
"Most of the film was shot on location in England, Wales...British unions constantly objected to Australian cast and crew working in Britain".
27. Beaconsfield (2012 TV Movie)
129 min | Drama
The true story of Brant Webb and Todd Russell, who were trapped nearly a kilometer below the surface.
Director: Glendyn Ivin | Stars: Shane Jacobson, Lachy Hulme, Cameron Daddo, Anthony Hayes
Votes: 558
Wikipedia states that this was intended to be a mini-series but morphed into a tv movie. About a mine collapse in Australia which made national headlines due to some survivors being trapped underground.
28. Beautiful Kate (2009)
R | 100 min | Drama, Mystery
A writer reawakens his childhood trauma from the past when he returns home, at the request of his estranged sister, to grieve their father's impending death.
Director: Rachel Ward | Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Sophie Lowe, Maeve Dermody, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 4,078
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$4,300,000
Box office: A$1,618,490
29. Beneath Clouds (2002)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
Lena is the daughter of an Aboriginal mother and Irish father and Vaughn is a Murri boy doing time in a minimum security prison in North West NSW. Dramatic events throw them together on a journey with no money and no transport.
Director: Ivan Sen | Stars: Dannielle Hall, Damian Pitt, Jenna Lee Connors, Terry Dahlstron
Votes: 1,185
Aboriginal movie with many numerous film awards both here and internationally.
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$2.5 million
Box office: A$548,416
30. Beneath Hill 60 (2010)
R | 122 min | Drama, History, War
In 1916, the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company is tunneling beneath German fortifications and bunkers to detonate massive explosive charges.
Director: Jeremy Sims | Stars: Brendan Cowell, Harrison Gilbertson, Steve Le Marquand, Gyton Grantley
Votes: 8,798
Based on true story from World War 1.
Wikipedia states:
Budget: A$8,140,500
31. Ben Hall and His Gang (1911)
33 min | Short
Director: Jack Gavin | Stars: Agnes Gavin, Jack Gavin
A silent film, considered "lost".
32. Bingo, Bridesmaids & Braces (1988)
90 min | Documentary
Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Gillian Armstrong, Kerry Carlson, Diana Doman, Josie Petersen
Votes: 21
The follow-up documentary to "Fourteen's good, eighteen's better", after the first in this series "Smokes and lollies". Next in the series were:
Bingo, bridesmaids and braces
Not fourteen again
Love, lust & lies
33. The Black Balloon (2008)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Romance
All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie, accept his brother?
Director: Elissa Down | Stars: Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Erik Thomson
Votes: 9,225 | Gross: $0.09M
2008 AFI Best film winner.
Wikipedia states:
Australia/UK co-production.
Budget: A$5 million
Box office: $2,136,663
Won many overseas films awards too.
34. Black Robe (1991)
R | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In the 17th century, a Jesuit missionary nicknamed Black Robe by the natives and his small party of companions try reaching the Huron tribe in Canada all while facing mistrust, Iroquois warring parties and harsh winter conditions.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young, Sandrine Holt, August Schellenberg
Votes: 7,652 | Gross: $8.21M
35. Blessed (I) (2009)
113 min | Drama
Seven lost children wander the night streets while their mothers await their return home.
Director: Ana Kokkinos | Stars: Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto, Deborra-Lee Furness, Victoria Haralabidou
Votes: 782
Mentioned in "David Stratton's stories of Australian cinema" (first broadcast on 06/06/2017) in regard to films made by women.
Wikipedia states:
Box office: A$457,898 (Australia)
36. Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala (1992)
Not Rated | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
After his home is destroyed by deforestation, Blinky Bill sets out on a quest to find his displaced mother.
Director: Yoram Gross | Stars: Robyn Moore, Keith Scott, Ross Higgins
Votes: 554
Wikipedia states that: "Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala grossed $1,903,659 at the box office in Australia".
Based on the books of Dorothy Wall, which have been turned into films and TV series: "The books are considered quintessential Australian children's classics, and have never been out of print in Australia".
Other titles;
The new adventures of Blinky Bill (TV series, 1984-7).
The adventures of Blinky Bill (TV series, 1993).
Blinky Bill the movie (2015, box office $4.3 million).
The wild adventures of Blinky Bill (TV series, 2016 - current).
Video games
"Blinky Bill received critical acclaim, and has become a national icon for Australia. Both the books and TV series are recognised internationally and regarded as children's classics".
37. Bliss (1985)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
After a near-death experience, a man wonders if he actually did die and is now in Hell.
Director: Ray Lawrence | Stars: Barry Otto, Lynette Curran, Helen Jones, Miles Buchanan
Votes: 1,414 | Gross: $0.66M
Wikipedia states:
1985 AFI Winner Best film
Budget: A$3.4 million
Box office: A$1,144,863 (Australia); $660,537 (USA only)
38. Blue Fin (1978)
PG | 88 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Based on the children's novel by celebrated South Australian author 'Colin Thiele', this is an emotional father and son story about tuna fishing of Southern Blue Fin tuna in South ... See full summary »
Directors: Carl Schultz, Bruce Beresford | Stars: Hardy Krüger, Greg Rowe, John Jarratt, Liddy Clark
Votes: 270
39. Blue Fire Lady (1977)
96 min | Drama, Family
A girl's love of horses meets with her father's disapproval.
Director: Ross Dimsey | Stars: Cathryn Harrison, Mark Holden, Peter Cummins, Marion Edward
Votes: 93
Produced by Antony I. Ginnane. Wikipedia notes that this children's movie is a departure from his normal horror/sex movies.
Budget: A$231,000
40. BMX Bandits (1983)
PG | 88 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A trio of teen BMX enthusiasts become entangled with a group of bank robbers after discovering their cache of walkie-talkies.
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith | Stars: David Argue, John Ley, Nicole Kidman, Angelo D'Angelo
Votes: 6,001
Nicole Kidman's first feature film. By Brian Trenchard-Smith. This film seems to get mentioned a lot in Australian comedies...notoriously bad or something. Wikipedia mentions some other references to this movie in international pop culture.
Australian box office: A$124,649
41. Body Melt (1993)
Not Rated | 81 min | Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Residents of peaceful Pebbles Court, Homesville, are being used unknowingly as test experiments for a new 'Body Drug' that causes rapid body decomposition (melting skin etc.) and painful death.
Director: Philip Brophy | Stars: Gerard Kennedy, Andrew Daddo, Ian Smith, Regina Gaigalas
Votes: 3,701
Made a list of the top 20 "body horror" movies of all time: Taste of cinema, 08/04/2014).
42. Bootmen (2000)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance