Some Striking Statistics

I find it easier to remember things once I've re-written them down in a separate place but have an easy time remembering numbers. Things get a little hazy however when the numbers get mixed up with the statistics. Recently, I've been engaged in a few conversations with various friends and family members over the numbers associated with the Australian Film Industry, mainly, the number of attendees to cinema theatres annually and the highest grossing films. I decided to assist me in my conversations (arguments) I should get my facts straight and thus have produced this list of 10 statistics I feel are most interesting in relation to the Australian Film Industry:

1. The number of cinema screens in Australia as of 2010 is 1,994.
2. The number of digital screens in Australia as of 2010 is 452.
3. The number of theatre admissions in 2010 reached 92.4 million.
4. The annual gross taking for the Australian box office in 2010 was $1,132.8 million, an increase of 4% compared to 2009.
5. The top five films ever screened in Australia list as follows: Avatar, Titanic, Shrek 2, Lords of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Crocodile Dundee.
6. The proportion of Australians attending cinematic screenings in 2010 was 69%.
7. The average number of attendances for this 69% was 7.4 screenings.
8. 14-24 year olds averaged 9.3 visits during 2010 making them the largest demographic associated with cinematic attendances.
9. Australian films earned a 4.5% share of the total box office takings for 2010. This was a total of $50.6 million.
10. The Australian film production and post production services industry incurred $1,857.4 million in production costs in 2006, with that figure reported to have increased significantly over the past 5 years.

The reason I added in that last statistic (unrelated to Australian cinema income) was to show how little an impact Australian cinematic distribution has on the ability to recuperate the costs incurred with Australian film production. To demonstrate the ludicrousness of this situation, read my next post comparing the financial set up of the American film industry compared to the Australian film industry.