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Lawless and Killing Them Softly open modestly at box office

Two US films by Australian directors have opened at the local box office this weekend, both taking a moderate haul with a $4,000 screen average.

Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave did best, taking $843,377 across 211 screens for a screen average of $3,997.

The film is distributed by Roadshow with a cast that includes Australians Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Noah Taylor and Mia Wasikowska as well as Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Jessica Chastain. The film is about a family of bootlegging gangsters in depression-era Virginia.

Hillcoat and Cave were the directing and writing team behind Australian western The Proposition, starring Pearce. Hillcoat also directed The Road.

Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt and Australian Ben Mendelsohn, took $664,500 across 165 screens for a $4,028 screen average.

The film, originally titled Cogan’s Trade sees Pitt as a stand over man investigating the heist of a mob-protected poker game at the height of the 2008 elections. The film is distributed by Hoyts/StudioCanal.

Dominik directed Eric Bana in Chopper and Pitt in the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Australian film The Wedding Party, is also out this week two years after it opened the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival.

The film took just $8,542 across three screens for a $2,847 screen average.

The film was directed by Amanda Jane, written by Christine Barlett and produced by Nicole Minchin. It was originally due for distribution through Arkles Australia, but producers and distributor parted ways.

When Minchin spoke with Encore last November on the back of festival wins, the producer was hopeful of release earlier this year.

Taken 2 is at the top of the box office, taking another $3.4m over 367 screens for a average of $9,328 screen average.

PJ Hogan’s Mental took $729,600 across 266 screens for a $2,743 screen average.

The Sapphires, in its 10th week added another $116,700 to its tally, taking the box office to $13.989m, while Kath & Kimderella took $53,300 in its sixth week taking the film to $6.009m.

Cate Shortland’s Lore added another $19,200 taking the film to $269,100 in total box office while Storm Surfers 3D added another $4,200 taking the film to $642,000.

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