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Housos opens across 150 screens

Comedian Paul Fenech’s new film Housos Vs The Authority will have one of distributor Transmission Films’ widest openings for a local picture.

The slapstick comedy based on the SBS TV show will go into cinemas today across 150 screens.

Transmission’s managing director, Richard Payten told Mumbrella’s sister title Encore he was hoping for takings of more than $1m over the film’s run.

Payten said: “At 150 prints, you want to be doing north of a million, so that’s our aim. There is an appetite for the film, and cinemas have been completely supportive of it.”


The film has a solid social media presence with 92,000 likes on Facebook for Housos.

Fenech told Encore: “My brand of humour certainly has plenty of ongoing fans, but Housos has grabbed a whole new fan base.”

SBS has since announced a second season of the TV series. Fenech’s previous feature film, Fat Pizza, based on his SBS series Pizza, took $3m at the local box office in 2003.

Fenech said: “Fat Pizza did really well considering its budget. Pound for pound it was an incredible success. How many Australian films will make seven times their budget? They’re people comedies.”

Transmission also released the 2009 film Charlie & Boots starring Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson, which grossed approximately $2.5m at the box office, and The King’s Speech, which grossed $32.55m locally.

The other film feature based on a TV show to be released this year is Kath & Kimderella, based on sitcom Kath & Kim. It has so far taken $6m at the box office.

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