Sydney, May 27: The National Australian Box Office grossed $8.98M over the weekend, with the top ten movies accounting for 87.19 per cent of the total.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – $3.32M in its opening weekend, popular in HOYTS Xtremescreen sessions.
IF – $1.73M in its second week, cumulative box office of $5.16M.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – $1.18M, cumulative box office of $9.15M in its third week.
The Fall Guy – $659K, cumulative box office of $12.45M in its fifth week.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In – $229K in its opening weekend.
Releasing This Movie Week
The Garfield Movie: A must-see in D-BOX with motion recliner seats. Featuring Chris Pratt as Garfield and Samuel L. Jackson as Vic.
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle (Dubbed & Subbed): Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High’s volleyball club. Screening at select HOYTS locations.
An American in Paris – The Musical: Tony® Award-winning Broadway musical. Screening at select HOYTS locations.
Unsung Hero: Based on a true story, following David Smallbone’s move from Australia to the States. Screening at select HOYTS locations.
Mr and Mrs Mahi (Hindi, Eng Sub): A couple shares a passion for cricket, with Mahendra coaching Mahima. Screening at select HOYTS locations.
Take My Hand: A Collaboration with MS Australia
Bronte Pictures is delighted to announce a collaboration with MS Australia for the upcoming feature film, Take My Hand, distributed by Rialto Distribution in Australia, with its national theatrical release set for August 29.
Starring Radha Mitchell, Adam Demos, and Bart Edwards, Take My Hand is a romantic drama inspired by the true story of writer/director John Raftopoulos and his wife Claire Jensz, who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS) and serves as the film’s executive producer.
The film follows Laura, an accomplished Australian woman diagnosed with MS at the peak of her career. After her husband’s sudden death and losing her job, she returns to Australia with her three sons, where a chance reunion with a childhood sweetheart changes her life.
In honor of World MS Day on May 30 and the global ‘Diagnosis’ theme, the film’s trailer will be launched on a dedicated microsite hosted by MS Australia, takemyhandthemovie.com.
The site will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews, and a heartfelt message from executive producer Claire Jensz, whose MS journey is poignantly depicted in the film.
The site will also offer pre-sale tickets for Q&A screenings scheduled for August 2024 across Australia.
Rohan Greenland, CEO of MS Australia, says, “MS Australia is excited to partner with Claire Jensz, John Raftopoulos, and the creative team behind Take My Hand. MS Australia recognizes the film’s profound portrayal of MS and its potential to spark meaningful awareness within the community.”
Claire Jensz added, “John and I are so proud to be partnering with MS Australia and have our film acknowledged in this way. We set out to create a beautiful love story that everyone can relate to, but also what’s important to me is that audiences see it as an inspirational awareness piece that provides more of an understanding of MS. By releasing our trailer on World MS Day, we hope to help MS Australia emphasize the importance of early diagnosis.”
Blake Northfield, producer of Take My Hand and Managing Director of Bronte Pictures, said, “We are so thrilled to partner with MS Australia on this incredible film, based on Claire and John’s true story.
MS Australia works tirelessly in their efforts to support research and raise awareness of this disease. Hopefully, by partnering with them and through people seeing the film, we can help contribute to the cause!”
Radha Mitchell was drawn to the role by the screenplay’s compelling originality and sincerity.
She stated, “Aside from the script, which is really quite lovely, it’s the kind of writing that you can’t get through without shedding a tear because it touches the heartstrings. The story itself was inspiring to me.
I was very interested to see a story that talks about MS in a positive way, embracing what it is. Playing a romantic lead who, as a result of MS, has both a speech impediment and trouble walking, yet has learned how to live with the disease and is thriving, I found this really inspiring.”
Mitchell and Demos collaborated closely with the real-life couple to bring authenticity to their story. Mitchell added, “I was lucky to have Claire as a reference point and collaborator.
And with John directing, he had a clear sense of how to tell the story, which helped me bring authenticity to the character. I’m honored to be a part of it because it is so personal, and they are so open about it being their story.”
The film also features Xavier Molyneux, making his feature film debut, and Meg Fraser.
Former Neighbours star and singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte is also featured.
Key production credits include Blake Northfield as producer, Wade Muller HKSC ACS as Director of Photography, Esther Rosenberg as Production Designer, Tracey Rose Sparke as Costume Designer, and Billie Weston as Hair and Make-Up Designer.
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