It has been revealed that Australian taxpayers shelled out approximately $183 million to ensure Hollywood movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was filmed in Australia, only for the expensive film to flop at the box office.
Furiosa stars Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy and was filmed in regional New South Wales and was expected to become the biggest movie ever made in Australia.
Although Screen New South Wales and Screen Australia have not revealed the exact sum spent to ensure the production was filmed in Australia, news.com.au They have reported that the amount is close to $200 million.
‘It’s incredibly expensive. The value that the Australian public got for that cost is questionable,’ Professor Kevin Sanson, director of QUT’s School of Communication, told the outlet.
The total budget for Furiosa was 333 million Australian dollars, and it has been revealed that more than half of that sum was funded by Australian taxpayers.
Australian taxpayers shelled out an estimated $183 million to ensure Hollywood movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was filmed in Australia, amid reports it has flopped at the box office. In the photo: main star Chris Hemsworth.
“Taxpayers should absolutely question the money spent, not only on this particular production, but also the value obtained from the generous compensation,” Sanson added.
Professor Amanda Lotz, a colleague of Mr Sanson, added that the Australian Parliament should ask itself whether this investment was “a good use of taxpayers’ money”.
He added that the government is offering attractive tax rebates for international productions to film here and, in return, hopes to support the Australian film industry and boost the economy.
Furiosa stars Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy (pictured), was filmed in regional New South Wales and was expected to become the biggest movie ever made in Australia. It concluded in September 2022.
Unfortunately, Furiosa’s worse-than-expected performance did neither, with production failing to break even and only grossing US$160 million (A$240 million) to date.
Australian audiences have not turned out to see the apocalyptic thriller, according to the box office website. number reporting that it earned only $3.3 million in its opening weekend.
The film suffered a similar fate in the United States, where it premiered last month.The four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend is usually one of the biggest box office events of the year, although that wasn’t the case this year.
Although Furiosa topped the box office with an estimated $25.5 million, via DeadlineYoIt was the lowest Memorial Day weekend at the box office in 29 years.
The total budget for Furiosa was 333 million Australian dollars, and it has been revealed that more than half of that sum was funded by Australian taxpayers. Unfortunately, the film has failed to break even at the box office.
Furiosa screened in 3,804 theaters over the holiday weekend, earning an average of $6,703 (A$10,000) per screen.
The soft debut means there’s a long road ahead for the film, which has a hefty production budget of $168 million, not counting publicity and commercials.
Many box office analysts had projected a debut for Furiosa in the $40 to $50 million range, but, like competing film The Fall Guy, it fell far short of expectations.
