The BFG – based on Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel – has opened in Australian cinemas thanks to Steven Spielberg & Co and box office figures suggest that, in spite of it not coming in at number one over the weekend, audiences are lapping at it up.
The film has earned over $4.5 million since its release on Thursday and currently sitting at third spot on the charts, buoyed by school holidays around the country.
The BFG stars three-time Tony Award, two-time Olivier Award and Oscar winner Mark Rylance, newcomer Ruby Barnhill, New Zealand’s own Jemaine Clement and Bill Hader.
The BFG tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.
Spielberg, who makes his Disney directorial debut here, has been a fan of Dahl’s for years, and in fact had read the book to his own children when they were younger. “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems,” he says.
The BFG is in cinemas now.
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