List of highest-grossing films in Australia

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This list charts the most successful films at cinemas in Australia by box office sales in Australian dollars. An overview of the top-earning films and record-holders is provided, as well as the highest-grossing Australian productions.

Contents

Highest-grossing films

The following is a list of the highest-grossing films in Australia. The list is topped by James Cameron's Avatar (2009) which surpassed his Titanic (1997) to take the local record. Crocodile Dundee (1986) is the highest-grossing Australian film with a gross of A$47.7 million.

Background colour   indicates films currently in cinemas
RankTitleYearGross (A$) [1]
1 Avatar 2009 118,985,016
2 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 94,052,876
3 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 93,670,000
4 Top Gun: Maverick 2022 93,332,040
5 Barbie 2023 85,740,000
6 Avengers: Endgame 2019 84,174,373
7 Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021 81,748,394
8 The Lion King 2019 64,138,378
9 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 62,024,642
10 Titanic 1997 58,702,677

Highest-grossing film by year

YearTitleGross (A$m) [2]
1972 The Godfather 2.0 R [3]
1973 Alvin Purple 4.7 [4]
1974 The Sting 4.4 R [3]
1975 Jaws 4.8 R [3]
1976 The Towering Inferno 3.9 R [3]
1977 The Spy Who Loved Me 2.1 R [3]
1978 Star Wars 6.4 R [3]
1979 The Muppet Movie 2.0 R [3]
1980 Kramer vs Kramer 3.1 R [3]
1981 Gallipoli 4.1 R [3]
1982 The Man from Snowy River 7.8 R [3]
1983 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 11.4 R [3]
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 4.2 R [3]
1985 Beverly Hills Cop 4.1 R [3]
1986 Crocodile Dundee 40.8
1987 Beverly Hills Cop II 11.4
1988 Crocodile Dundee II 24.9
1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 15.8
1990 Pretty Woman 26.1
1991 Dances with Wolves 19.2
1992 Strictly Ballroom 18.7
1993 Jurassic Park 31.7
1994 The Lion King 24.7
1995 Batman Forever 17.9
1996 Independence Day 29.3
1997 Men in Black 22.7
1998 Titanic 47.3
1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 38.7
2000 Gladiator 30.7
2001 Shrek 32.1
2002 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones 33.8
2003 Finding Nemo 37.1
2004 Shrek 2 50.4
2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith 35.5
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 38.1
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 35.5
2008 The Dark Knight 45.8
2009 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 40.6
2010 Avatar 75.3
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 52.6
2012 The Avengers 53.3
2013 Iron Man 3 39.2
2014 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 32.8
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 62.8
2016 Finding Dory 48.6
2017 Beauty and the Beast 48.0
2018 Avengers: Infinity War 61.9
2019 Avengers: Endgame 84.2
2020 Jumanji: The Next Level 28.0
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home 55.3
2022 Top Gun: Maverick 93.1
2023 Barbie 87.0 [5]

RDistributor rental for entire run

Previous record holders

Timeline of the highest-grossing film record
YearTitleRecord setting gross
(A$)
1940 Gone With the Wind 3,426,000 R [6]
1965 The Sound of Music 4,437,000 R [6]
1975 Jaws 4,620,000 R [6]
1977 Star Wars 6,200,000 R [6]
1982 The Man from Snowy River 7,821,420 R [3] [7]
1983 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 11,424,768 R [3]
1986 Crocodile Dundee 47,707,598 [8]
(19,772,232 R ) [3]
1998 Titanic 57,713,717 [1]
2009 Avatar 115,781,489 [1]

RDistributor rental.

Highest-grossing Australian productions

The following is a list of the highest-grossing Australian films at the Australian box office. Crocodile Dundee has remained the highest-grossing Australian film for 38 years, even without factoring in inflation.

RankTitleYear of
release
Budget
(A$)
Australian gross
(A$) [8]
Worldwide gross
(US$)
1 Crocodile Dundee 1986$11,500,000$47,707,598$328,203,506 [9]
2 Australia 2008$200,000,000 (US$130,000,000,
US$78,000,000 after tax incentives) [10]
$37,555,757$211,342,221 [11]
3 Babe 1995$30,000,000$36,797,861$254,134,910 [12]
4 Elvis 2022$120,000,000$33,486,309 [13] $285,781,077 [14]
5 Happy Feet 2006$132,740,000$31,786,593$384,335,608 [15]
6 The Lego Movie *2014$60,000,000$29,834,461 [16] $468,060,692 [17]
7 Lion 2016$15,000,000$29,563,329$140,312,928 [18]
8 Moulin Rouge! 2001$52,000,000$27,765,415$179,213,434 [19]
9 The Great Gatsby 2013$105,000,000$27,385,977$353,641,895 [20]
10 Peter Rabbit 2018$50,000,000$26,760,008$351,266,433 [21]
Films marked as * are not classified as Australian by Screen Australia

Previous Australian record holders

Timeline of the highest-grossing Australian film record [4]
YearTitleRecord setting gross
(A$)
1966 They're a Weird Mob 2,417,000
1973 Alvin Purple 4,720,000
1975 Picnic at Hanging Rock 5,120,000
1979 Mad Max 5,355,490
1981 Gallipoli 11,740,000
1982 The Man from Snowy River 17,228,160
1986 Crocodile Dundee 47,707,598

High grossing Australian films from earlier decades include:

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

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    <i>Crocodile Dundee</i> 1986 Australian comedy film directed by Peter Faiman

    Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 action comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee, and American actress Linda Kozlowski as reporter Sue Charlton. Inspired by the true-life exploits of Rod Ansell, the film was made on a budget of under $10 million as a deliberate attempt to make a commercial Australian film that would appeal to a mainstream American audience, but proved to be a worldwide phenomenon.

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    <i>Crocodile Dundee II</i> 1988 film directed by John Cornell

    Crocodile Dundee II is a 1988 action comedy film and the second of the Crocodile Dundee film series. It is a sequel to Crocodile Dundee (1986) and was followed by Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001). Actors Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski reprise their roles as Mick Dundee and Sue Charlton, respectively, here shown opposing a Colombian drug cartel.

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    <i>Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles</i> 2001 Australian comedy film directed by Simon Wincer

    Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is a 2001 action comedy film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Paul Hogan. It is the sequel to Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and the third and final film of the Crocodile Dundee film series. Hogan and Linda Kozlowski reprise their roles as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee and Sue Charlton, respectively. The film was shot on location in Los Angeles and in Queensland. Actor Paul Hogan reported that the inspiration for the storyline came during a tour of Litomyšl, Czech Republic in 1993. It was released on 18 April 2001 in the United States. It grossed $39.4 million worldwide and received negative reviews from critics who called it an unnecessary sequel.

    <i>The Overlanders</i> (film) 1946 film

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    <i>Crocodile Dundee</i> (film series) Film series (1986–2001)

    The Crocodile Dundee film series consists of action-comedy films centered on a crocodile hunter named Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee. The movies star Paul Hogan in the title role, over the course of three feature films. Hogan refused several proposals for more Crocodile Dundee films.

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