Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash
Despite some dire rumblings, the Australian cinema scene posted a respectable 2024. According to Screen Australia, overall attendances showed a small rise of around 200,000 on 2023 – from 57.9 million to 58.1 million. The gross box office however grew about 5%, from $940 million to $985 million. This perhaps indicates Australians are willing to shell out a little more for a night at the movies. And when you factor in all the movies on streaming services, it seems Australians’ appetite for the moving image is as strong, or stronger, than ever.
What we saw though might give pause. On figures published by Boxofficemojo, the top three grossing movies of the year (in order) were Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 – all sequels of one sort or another. Indeed, in the top 10 grossing movie, only two – Wicked and It Ends With Us. Both of those were however adaptations based on other popular material. To see an “original” movie, you have to go to no. 11 and the Sydney-set rom-com, Anyone But You – though even that’s a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. No Barbie or Oppenheimer this year!
In addition, four of the top ten were animated movies, and two more were heavy on the CGI animation. Six of those top ten would probably be considered kids’ or teen movies, suggesting “pester power” remains strong.
The top drawing Australian movies were Runt (no.35) and Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (no.36) with pretty good numbers around the $3.6 million mark each. However, the Australian-set movies Anyone But You and The Fall Guy fared rather better. And in the “huh?” category, The Wild Robot (no.13) and the Christmas-themed Red One (no.33) both performed surprisingly strongly – particularly since Red One went to streaming after only a couple of weeks in cinemas. But Francis Ford Coppola’s much-anticipated Megalopolis and Kevin Costner’s Horizon (Part 1) crashed, scraping in at nos. 149 and 161 respectively. They grossed less combined than the much-maligned fantasy romp Borderlands.
The Oscar for Best Picture went (as widely expected) to Oppenheimer; with the International Feature going to Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. At Cannes, the Palme d’Or was taken out by Sean Baker’s Anora (see below). At Venice, Pedro Almodovar landed the top prize with The Room Next Door; while in Berlin, Dahomey from Mati Diop won the Golden Bear.
And while we might not have the same cachet as the Oscars, here are our critics’ lists of the top 10 films of 2024.
Greg King
A beautifully animated and moving story that explores universal themes that will resonate with audiences of all ages.
The Holdovers tackles some big themes including ideas of entitlement and privilege.
3. Radical
Radical is moving, profound and engaging story.
4. Anora
For those who like something fresh and off-beat, Anora is well worth checking out
5. Kill
The title says all you need to know about this visceral, ultra-violent action thriller.
6. Robot Dreams
Robot Dreams is an unexpected delight and a quite charming animated film that captures the spirit of those silent films of yesteryear.
The Substance is sure to be one of the most heavily discussed films of 2024. It doesn’t just dip its toe into the murky world of the body horror subgenre, but dives right in headfirst.
Anatomy of a Fall is a multi-layered courtroom drama which is also an examination of a marriage in trouble and the relationship between a mother and her son.
9. Ghostlight
Ghostlight is a small and low-key but emotionally honest film and has a powerful effect on the audience.
10. Greedy People
This blackly comic and atmospheric low-budget crime drama very much has a similar vibe to the Coen brothers.
David Edwards
Kinds of Kindness is a sprawling yet intimate film that doesn’t just ask big questions, it asks confronting, uncomfortable questions.
2. May December
May December is a richly layered, melodramatic but deliberately ambiguous character study from director Todd Haynes.
Like most of Alexander Payne’s films, the idea of family and what it means to be part of one features strongly in The Holdovers.
Jonathan Glazer goes where few have dared to tread in The Zone of Interest. This bold drama paradoxically forefronts the Holocaust by never showing it.
The Piano Lesson is as powerful a film as you’re likely to see in 2024.
6. Ghostlight
Ghostlight is a fantastic indie film, full of intelligence and heart. This is the kind of movie that’s sadly becoming less common on our screens; and that would be reason enough to see it.
7. Challengers
Challengers is another fine entry in Luca Guadagnino’s eclectic catalogue of films; and in many ways his most accessible to date.
8. Thelma
Incredibly, Thelma marks the first ever starring screen role for June Squibb but she certainly makes the most of it.
9. Anora
Anora is is peppered with dark humour, action and engaging characters.
10. Drive-Away Dolls
Drive-Away Dolls is a psychedelic crime caper, lesbian rom-com and road movie, with a sprinkling of late-19th Century writer Henry James.
Alex First
The Zone of Interest is traumatising, but it needs to be seen.
Anatomy of a Fall is unquestionably one of the films of the year.
3. Civil War
Civil War is intense and visceral.
4. Anora
Sean Baker is an intriguing filmmaker who doesn’t repeat himself.
5. Strange Darling
JT Mollner crafts a tightly wound, stylish, horror-thriller with Strange Darling.
A diligent young teacher is caught up in a seemingly never-ending downward spiral in Ilker Catak’s The Teacher’s Lounge.
7. Fallen Leaves
Aki Kaurismäki brings us the surprising story of two lost souls in Fallen Leaves.
8. Suddenly
Thomas Bidegain’s tension-filled thriller Suddenly involves a couple marooned on a remote Antarctic island.
9. Ghostlight
In a remarkable piece of casting, Ghostlight features a real family as the fictional family in the story.
10. Radical
Radical shows how one person can make a difference for the greater good.
Other reviews you might enjoy:
David Edwards is the former editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
