Avatar: The Way of Water steals the spotlight over summer taking out highest grossing film of all time.
The summer holidays delivered a stellar performance in cinemas with a total of 1.53M admissions from 15 December 2022 – 29 January 2023.
Avatar: The Way of Water was the star of the show delivering 825,000 admissions, 59% of which were for 3D sessions. The film is now the highest-grossing film of all time in New Zealand.
2023 is set up for a blockbuster year with the NZ Box Office +44% on STLY.
54% of all admissions during the holidays fell within the P14-39 demographic, proving cinema is the place to connect with hard-to-reach youths.
The summer holidays have delivered a show-stopping performance for cinemas with New Zealanders filling their break with some of the best big-screen cultural moments of the summer.
Across 15 December 2022 – 29 January 2023, total admissions soared to 1.53M with 54% of all admissions during the holidays falling within the P14-39 demographic, proving cinema is at the top of the list for hard-to-reach youths and young families wanting to break up the scorching summer days and enjoy a highly entertaining and memorable experience.
The main contributor to the school holiday success was James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which captivated cinemagoers over the summer. The movie now holds the title of the highest-grossing film of all time in New Zealand, surpassing the original Avatar.
The film topped the chart for its seventh week straight and delivered an incredible 825,000 admissions in New Zealand since its release, with 59% of all admissions delivered within 3D sessions.
Avatar: The Way of Water 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 film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish also had a successful school holiday stint, delivering 254,000 admissions, securing the title of the second biggest animated film of 2022 behind Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Matt Tremain Sales Director of Val Morgan Cinema said “We’re so pleased to see Avatar: The Way of Water deliver these incredible admission results over summer and overtake the original Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time. With the NZ Box Office already sitting at +44% STLY, we have a solid foundation for another successful year on the big screen.”
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 5), will be released in time for the next school holidays in April, and Disney’s nostalgic live-action 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.
“We have such an incredibly strong slate of high-reaching cultural moments, youth-focused titles, family franchise films and quality AB titles releasing in 2023, which gives brands the unique opportunity to align with these big blockbuster titles that are guaranteed to draw huge audiences. We’re confident that admissions will also continue to soar as the year unfolds.” added Tremain.
Source: CineTAM 2023