Cinema admissions over the Easter school holidays, April 3-17, increased 26% to 4.48 million compared to 2024.
The standout film was A Minecraft Movie, based on the video game franchise. To date, the film has delivered 2.8 million admissions, driven by youth and family audiences.
It has also smashed records at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and has also entered Australia’s top 20 highest-grossing films of all time.
"A Minecraft Movie wasn’t just the biggest film of the Easter holidays, it became one of the most viral cultural moments so far this year,” said managing director of Val Morgan Cinema Guy Burbidge.
“Just search ‘chicken jockey’ on TikTok to see how it took off. This wasn’t just moviegoing — it was a collision of identity, nostalgia, and fandom.
“That’s the unique power of strong IP and the shared experience cinema delivers. When it connects emotionally, it doesn’t just entertain — it creates cultural moments. Brands have a rare opportunity to be part of that with Cinema."
The animated superhero comedy, Dogman, was the second-biggest film of the school holidays, delivering 414,000 admissions and over-indexing amongst young family audiences.
Horror film Sinners made a strong debut across the Easter weekend, achieving the second-largest horror opening of the year at the Australian box office behind New Year’s Day release Nosferatu.
The film has delivered an impressive 229,000 admissions across its run so far, driven by a strong youth turnout, with a remarkable 79% of total admissions coming from the P14–39 demographic.
It also defied the norm by recording a huge +47% growth in audience in its second weekend, a near unheard of feat for non-family films. This momentum was powered by word-of-mouth and critical acclaim, with a standout 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and making history as the first horror film to receive an A CinemaScore.
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