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'Melania' earns higher than expected at the box office
Amazon’s Melania Trump documentary has beaten box office records for the strongest start of any documentary in over a decade, despite opening to scathing reviews. The film earned US$7 million at the U.S. box office, surpassing Deadline’s $5 million forecast. The film follows Melania preparing to be the first lady for the second time and was beat out in the box office by two horror films: Iron Lung and Send Help. Despite beating expectations, this pales in comparison to how much the film cost to make and advertise. According to the New York Times, Amazon paid $40 million for the rights to the film, with this fee including a related docu-series set to air later this year. The budget for the ‘Melania’ documentary is unknown, but documentaries that follow a subject for a limited amount of time usually cost less than $5 million to produce. ‘Melania’ also had a marketing budget 10 times the amount of other high-profile documentaries at $35 million. Donald Trump said he wasn’t involved in negotiations of the $75 million price tag for the film, and Melania said Amazon was the best because they agreed to do theatres all around the world.” “We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, wit
Film
Avatar: Fire and Ash grosses US$345m on debut
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash amassed US$345 million at the global box office this weekend, a far cry from the success of its predecessors. The film grossed US$88 million in the American market and US$257 million internationally. This marks the second-largest debut for a 2025 film behind another Disney juggernaut, Zootopia 2, which earned US$500 million on debut. However, the film did not gross as much as the previous two instalments of the Avatar franchise. Avatar: The Way of the Water grossed US$435 million globally in 2022 following multiple release date delays. The first two trips to Pandora combined were smash hits, grossing more than US$2 billion at the global box office. The third film cost Disney a massive US$350 million to produce and US$150 million to promote, meaning it would need to earn a lot during its cinema run to make a profit. The first two films also stand as the two highest-grossing films in history, amassing US$2.9 billion and US$2.3 billion respectively, despite not having shattering opening weekends. International audiences are also said to be key to the franchise's success, with the first film earning US$2.1 billion from overseas markets. “The first two movies earned over 7
Film
Zootopia 2 becomes second 2025 film to gross US$1bn
Zootopia 2 holds the number 1 spot at the box office as it becomes the Walt Disney Company’s second film this year to gross US$1 billion worldwide. With Avatar: Fire and Ash arriving in cinemas with a relatively quiet opening weekend, Zooptopia and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 fought it out for the top spot. Zootopia 2 won the battle, amassing US$1.4 billion at the global box office. Before heading into the weekend, the film had grossed US$232.7 million in the U.S. and US$753.4 million in international markets. According to Comscore, Zootopia 2 made US$26.3 million across the U.S. and Canada this weekend. This milestone means the world to us, because more than anything, it means audiences are coming to theatres for a shared experience of watching this movie on the big screen, everyone together, from all walks of life around the world — and that is a Zootopia dream come true,” Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer, Jared Bush, said. This was in great part due to the film’s massive success in China, where it grossed US$502.4 million, making it the biggest Hollywood hit in the country in years. This is a huge figure considering China decreased the number of American films it permits to play in theatres a
Film
Wicked: For Good smashes box office records on debut
Wicked: For Good is making magic at the office, opening with a record-breaking US$150 million in North America and $226 million worldwide. Part two of the tale of the witches from Oz outpaced the debut of last year’s Wicked, which tallied $112.5 million in Canada. Wicked: For Good has also surpassed Part 1 in becoming the biggest opening weekend of a Broadway adaptation. The film has become the second-highest weekend for a film released in 2025, just behind “A Minecraft Movie”, which tallied US$163 million. The film is also the second-biggest opening for a Universal, behind Jurassic World, which earned $208.8 million, second biggest for the weekend before Thanksgiving, behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s $158.1 million. Wicked: For Good also became the fourth-biggest worldwide debut in 2025. It was also the fifth-biggest opening of all time for any musical behind The Lion King (2019), Moana 2, Frozen 2 and Beauty and the Beast. IMAX also earned US$21.1 million on the bottom line. Including $15.5 million in the U.S., making the biggest start ever for a November family-friendly title. On the same weekend, the first Wicked made history in its debut on its way to grossing nearly $750 million globally, a re
Film
Disney's Tron: Ares crashes with underwhelming debut
Disney's Tron: Ares opened to a paltry US$33.5 million (A$51.47 million) domestically over the weekend, falling short of analyst expectations of $40-50 million. The sci-fi sequel captured the top spot but delivered half the inflation-adjusted opening of 2010's Tron: Legacy, which debuted to $44 million - equivalent to roughly $65 million today. That's a significant decline for a film carrying a $180 million production budget before marketing costs. Friday's $14.3 million haul, including $4.8 million in previews, pushed projections down from the initial $40-$50 million range.Global opening reaches just $60.5 millionGlobally, the Joachim Rønning-directed film reached $60.5 million through Sunday, with $27 million from international territories. Premium large format screens - Imax, Dolby and 3D - accounted for 67% of ticket sales. China opens on 17 October, which could provide some upside. Latin American markets showed promise, with both Brazil and Mexico opening ahead of Tron: Legacy and last year's Alien: Romulus. But with box office revenue typically split 50-50 between studios and cinema operators, Tron: Ares requires roughly $360 million globally to break even theatrically. The film received a B+ CinemaSc

Film
Sydney poised for a possible second film studio
A second film studio could come to Sydney as part of a multimillion-dollar funding boost. The New South Wales government confirmed $380 million in the 24 June Budget will go towards both the film and digital games sector. This investment will include $100 million towards selecting a location site for an upcoming film studio alongside industry partnerships. The only film studio in NSW is in Moore Park, operated by Disney Studios Australia. This studio has shot Mad Max Furiosa, The Fall Guy, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, among others. Speaking to press on Sunday, Minister for the Arts John Graham confirmed that Oran Park in Sydney was one of several possible locations suggested, which would mark the second studio for the city.
Film
Do book-to-film adaptations outshine original films?
While ticket prices rise and fewer people visit the cinema, one thing rings true: book-to-film adaptations do better at the box office. A 2018 study found that film adaptations of books earn 53% more than original screenplays worldwide. RMIT associate professor in cinema studies, Stephen Gaunson, told Azzet that Australian book-to-film adaptations typically make 20% to 30% more at the box office. Despite this, the Australian adaptation industry is still in its infancy, with attitudes towards them only changing locally in recent years.Why adapt books?Gaunson says studios opt for adaptations because they have a built-in audience. “If audiences read the book and they think it looks pretty good, they're probably more likely to actually go out and see the film,” he says. An example of an Australian-based film that Gaunson says benefited from the name of the book was The Dressmaker (2015). He says marketing the film alongside the book gave it more success, with the film becoming the biggest grossing Australian film in 2015-16 with a box office gross of A$20,271,661. “The Dressmaker was very much an event film,” Gaunson says. “If you look at the advertising at the time, there were cinemas that were really promoting i
Film
Amazon acquires creative control of James Bond films
Amazon MGM Studios struck a deal with Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli to house James Bond intellectual property rights. According to Deadline, the deal where Amazon would get full creative control over 007’s franchise was around US$1 billion. “Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment,” Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios head, Mike Hopkins said. “We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.” Amazon acquired MGM, including a catalogue of more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows, in 2022 for $8.25 billion. The deal gave Amazon the rights to distribute the James Bond films and with this new transaction, they will be given greater control over the film series’s legacy. The new partnership possibly hints at Amazon MGM gearing up to announce and new Bond film and since Daniel Craig announced that he would not be appearing in a fifth Bond film, the studio will have to find an eighth actor to carry on the legacy. Amazon founder and executive chairman, Jeff Bezos took to X to stir excitement about the new venture. “Wh