Best Weekend Of 2022! 244,000 Kiwis Hit the Big Screen.

It’s been another massive weekend in the world of cinema with a spectacular 244,000 Kiwis hitting the big screen to catch the latest and greatest blockbusters from Thursday to Sunday - marking the biggest weekend admissions result of 2022.

Top Gun: Maverick is still flying high at Mach 5 speeds, amassing an astounding 56,300 admits over the weekend. Additionally, in just 32 days since its opening, the mega-budget blockbuster has dominated the local box office, bringing in $10.5 million. Top Gun: Maverick has also hit the $1 billion mark globally and currently stands as the highest-grossing film worldwide of 2022 so far, along with Tom Cruise’s best-performing film ahead of Mission: Impossible: Fallout which was released in August 2018.

The highly anticipated biopic of the ‘King of Rock and Roll’, Elvis and family favourite, Minions: The Rise of Gru both garnered stellar admission results over their opening weekend, with an impressive 56,100 and 37,800 respectively.

Jurassic World: Dominion and The Lion King: Reo Māori also helped contribute to the weekend’s success, with 30,900 and 14,900 admits respectively.

The Lion King: Reo Maori was extremely well received over its opening weekend. The film was translated and re-recorded in the traditional indigenous language of New Zealand, te reo Māori.

“Kia taorotia te reo Māori ki ngā uri puta noa, puta noa! For our language to thrive, it must reach the hearts and homes of our people,” - Matewa Media co-director Tweedie Waititi.

The film was the second Disney movie to be released in te reo Māori, after Moana in 2020, and is perceived to play a role in the wider resurgence of Māori language and culture in New Zealand’s pop culture and daily life.

“We know that continuing to celebrate the indigenous language with the addition of these cherished films will mean a lot to the local community.” - Kylie Watson-Wheeler, senior vice-president and managing director of Walt Disney for Australasia.