FAMILY film Oddball is close to crossing the $10 million mark as international markets beckon.
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After four weeks in wide release, the story of Warrnambool’s penguin protection program has made $9,274,499.
It made $730,187 in its fourth week, keeping it at #4 on the Aussie box office behind The Martian, The Intern and Black Mass.
Its takings place it in the top 25 films of the year at the Australian box office just behind the likes of Hollywood blockbusters Terminator: Genisys and Ant-Man.
However the film’s takings have been dropping steadily since the end of the school holidays, with its box office down 51 per cent on the previous week having dropped 38 per cent the week before.
The number of screens showing the film is slowly decreasing too, down to 282 from 297, but the true sign that Oddball's momentum is slowing can be seen in its per-screen takings.
Two weeks ago, the film made $7399 per screen, indicating large crowds, while last week that figure was down to $2589 per screen.
Greg Gent, general manager at Warrnambool’s Capitol Cinema, said they hoped to keep screening Oddball for as long as possible.
“Hopefully Oddball keeps going ‘til the Christmas holidays … and we can show it the holiday makers that come down here,” he said, but added that would be dependent on people still buying tickets to see the film until then.
Oddball is at #29 on the all-time list of Australian films at the Australian box office, with last week’s takings edging it past the 1983 film Phar Lap, according to Screen Australia figures.
But Oddball’s makers are setting their sights overseas, having confirmed the film’s first international release.
A dubbed version of the movie will open in Italy – the home of Maremmas – on October 29.
In Italy, the lead dog has been renamed Giotto and the movie is titled Giotto l'amico dei pinguini, which translates to “Giotto, the friend of the penguins”.
Meanwhile, the film’s inspiration Swampy Marsh was the celebrity speaker at a Standing Tall function at Warrnambool's Brauer College on Tuesday.
The Purnim chicken farmer spoke to the mentoring group about the Middle Island penguin program.
"Our environment needs people with a passion and these kids have a real passion for the environment," Mr Marsh said.
Brauer College chaplain Julie Burch and Standing Tall co-ordinator Matty Stewart said Mr Marsh's presentation showed persistence and initiative paid dividends.
