Few could have predicted that an unassuming film about an old man’s pilgrimage along the Camino Trail in northern Spain would become this year’s surprise hit in Australia, but director Bill Bennett’s The Way, My Way ” exceeded $2 million in boxes in Australia and New Zealand. office.
Maslow Entertainment, the film’s distributor, announced that “The Way My Way,” which was released in theaters on May 16th and is now in its seventh week of release, has consistently achieved strong box office results. The film is currently the third highest grossing Australian film. 2024, behind Furiosa and Force of Nature: The Dry.
(For comparison, there are only three other Australian films that grossed more than $1 million in 2023: Talk to Me, Blueback, and John Farnham: Finding the・Voice”).
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Based on writer-director Bill Bennett’s 2013 memoir about walking 800km as a kneeling non-believer, The Way, My Way stars iconic Australian actor Chris Haywood will play Bennett, and actors Jennifer Clough, Pia Thunderbolt and Laura Lakshmi will also co-star. . The supporting cast also includes pilgrims with whom Bennett actually trekked.
According to the synopsis: “This film tells the life-changing true story of a stubborn and self-centered Australian man who decides to walk the famous 800km Camino de Santiago through Spain, and the people he meets along the way. Life is forever, one step at a time.
About 6 million people a year, believers and non-believers alike, walk at least part of the Camino de Santiago, a series of paths that lead to the tomb of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. , is not only a tourist destination but also a spiritual experience.
The older demographic who are leaning toward Camino are also leaning toward actually going to see Bennett’s little Australian film in theaters. Bennett’s long career includes 15 other feature films, including “Kiss or Kill,” “In a Savage Land,” and “The Nugget.” .
The fact that writer/director Bennett and actor/producer Jennifer Clough accompanied the film to Q&A screenings at small independent movie theaters across the country has clearly helped increase word of mouth.
In a media release for Maslow, Bennett said, “This film is very personal to me, and it’s obviously very exciting to see how it connects with audiences in such a deep and meaningful way.” I’m satisfied with that.” Jennifer and I especially loved our Q&A tour of Australia and meeting movie lovers at some of the country’s best movie theaters. The whole experience was so magical. ”
Mark Wooldridge, managing director of Maslow Entertainment, said: “Bill has masterfully brought the Camino experience to the big screen and will be available exclusively in theaters for weeks to come.” . We are delighted for everyone involved and invite those to come see it again or experience it for the first time. ”
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