Australian box office passes $1 billion as audiences return

Australia’s box office has passed $1 billion in 2026, delivering its biggest year since 2019 and a growing audience for cinema advertisers, according to Val Morgan Cinema.

The cinema advertising business reported box office revenue was up 24% year-on-year, following five consecutive $100 million months from April to August and the highest-grossing winter on record. The figures draw on Numero and CineTAM data.

The result comes ahead of a December release schedule led by Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part 3, giving exhibitors and advertisers another major opportunity before Christmas.

Record winter drives the result

August was the highest-grossing August on record, with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day together outgrossing the Barbie and Oppenheimer pairing that drove the Barbenheimer phenomenon.

According to Val Morgan, Spider-Man: Brand New Day now ranks fifth among the highest-grossing films of all time, while The Odyssey sits ninth. The latter has also become the highest-earning IMAX film.

Earlier in the year, Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, helped deliver the biggest Valentine’s Day box office since 2016.

May set its own monthly record, supported by the strongest Mother’s Day weekend on record. Michael became the second-highest-grossing biopic, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 ranked as the third-highest-grossing comedy.

Horror also contributed to the result. Val Morgan reported that Obsession became the highest-grossing horror film of all time, with Backrooms and Resident Evil entering the genre’s top 10.

Val Morgan makes its pitch to brands

Guy Burbidge, managing director at Val Morgan Cinema, said the milestone reflected repeat attendance across a broad range of films.

“Crossing $1 billion is a landmark for Australian cinema. It’s been driven by audiences of every age turning up again and again, across every genre, for the kind of shared, can’t-miss experiences you don’t get anywhere else.

“For brands, that’s the plot twist not to miss. Cinema delivers an engaged audience on the biggest screen there is, and that audience is growing.

"What's next? All roads lead to December where, within just 24 hours of each other and a week out from Christmas, Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part 3 land in cinemas. Brace yourselves for a cultural moment for the ages, with many more records smashed."

For advertisers, the December releases offer a final opportunity to reach cinema audiences during the Christmas trading period, after a year of box office growth across multiple genres.