A total of 13.5 million admissions from November 28 to February 2 marked a +9% increase compared to the previous year.
Admissions among the P18-39 youth audience and among Families (parents with children under 16) were both up +8% year on year, fuelled by four major family franchises and one live-action musical.
Moana 2 delivered 3.07 million admissions, securing its spot as the third highest-grossing animated film of all time in Australia.
Wicked followed closely behind as the second biggest film of the summer, with over 2.4 million admissions to date, making it the second highest-grossing live-action film of all time.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has delivered 1.73 million admissions to date and has surpassed Sonic The Hedgehog 2’s box office earnings by +29% to become the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Mufasa: The Lion King also had a strong run since releasing in late December with 1.48 million admissions so far.
New Year’s Day release Paddington in Peru has delivered 1.03 million admissions across its run so far, making it the highest-grossing film in the Paddington franchise—surpassing the original 2014 Paddington by +43%.
The strong slate has also helped contribute to the strongest January box office delivery since 2020.
Val Morgan Cinema MD Guy Burbidge commented said the company knew this summer school holidays would be big, and these record-breaking results prove that Australian’s love for cinema has never been stronger.
"The growth across key demographics is a clear indication of the demand—and it’s only going to get bigger with the depth of content lined up this year," he said.
The latest SMI report, released on Monday, revealed an +8.8% increase in spend for CY2024 compared to the previous year.
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