The New Zealand Box Office broke all records in 2008 recording a box office total of $156,573,000 increasing by 3.2% on the 2007 result.
The highest grossing film of 2008 was Universal’s Mamma Mia!, released on July 10, which took $7,621,251 and ran in the country’s top ten list for an amazing 18 weeks. Other top grossing films included The Dark Knight ($6.75m), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($4.98m), Quantum of Solace ($4.6m) and Kung Fu Panda ($4.53m)
The total number of films released in New Zealand for the year was 258.
President of the Motion Picture Distributors Association of New Zealand, Mark Croft said ‘The cinema has always played an important part in our everyday lives and never more so during difficult times, when audiences look for a means of escape from the troubles of the world.
"In the last half of 2008, audiences did indeed return more often to the cinema as an inexpensive means of entertainment which was reflected in the outstanding result’.
In 2009 and beyond, the industry will continue to invest in the comfort of patrons as well as the installation of new digital projection equipment to bring crisper images, better sound and of course digital 3D.
Distributors are gearing up to release at least eight new digital 3D films in 2009 including Monsters V Aliens, Jonas Brothers and James Cameron’s Avatar.
At the end of 2008 there were seven screens capable of projecting digital films and by the end of 2009 the MPDA anticipates there will be at least a further 10 screens enabled for digital projection added. Some of these screens will be in provincial locations which will enable smaller rural communities to play the latest blockbuster releases at the same time as the rest of the country.
The top 10 New Zealand box office grossing films for 2008:
Mamma Mia! ($7,621,251)
Dark Knight, The ($6,752,454)
Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($4,978,785)
Quantum of Solace ($4,603,336)
Kung Fu Panda ($4,573,316)
Hancock ($3,900,443)
I Am Legend ($3,595,590)
Iron Man ($3,520,523)
Wall-E ($3,442,725)
Death at a Funeral ($3,437,882)
The top 10 New Zealand box office grossing films for 2007:
Shrek the Third ($7,025,286)
Transformers ($6,955,274)
Casino Royale ($6,000,790)
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End ($5,930,719)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($5,742,138)
Simpsons Movie, The ($4,381,014)
Happy Feet ($4,314,548)
Spider-Man 3 ($3,726,276)
Bourne Ultimatum,The ($3,553,223)
Mr Bean's Holiday ($3,229,828)
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