THE CASTLE IS KING OF AUSTRALIAN MOVIES

One in four Aussies cite 90s classic as their favourite Australian film of all time in cinema survey

1997 classic The Castle is the nation's favourite Australian film of all time, according to a national cinema survey commissioned by Optus.

Twenty-five percent of Australians surveyed chose The Castle, starring Michael Caton and Anne Tenney, as their all time favourite Australian film, beating Crocodile Dundee (11 percent) and Australia (6 percent).

Michael Caton's Darryl Kerrigan, the "battler" father from The Castle, was voted Australia's favourite movie character with twenty-seven percent of the vote, beating The Drover from Australia (11 percent) and Muriel from Muriel's Wedding (9 percent).

Sami Lukis, Optus Movie Rewards ambassador said, "Australian films feature heavily in my all-time top ten list – Chopper, Priscilla, Muriel's Wedding, Lantana and Wolf Creek to name only a few. But it seems that the movie to have truly touched the hearts and minds of the Australian people is an all-time classic. The Castle is king of Aussie movies."

Australian cinema continues to gather pace and plaudits alike. Future classic The Cup is released this week, while Australia Day 2012 sees the release of the much anticipated Any Questions for Ben?, from the production team behind The Castle, and A Few Best Men, from the writer/director of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Also due for release next year is Mental, from director PJ Hogan, of Muriel's Wedding fame.

With Australian cinema's star continuing to rise, there is no better time to head to the movies in support of homegrown film. All Optus customers who subscribe to the Optus Movie Rewards Program, and their friends and family, now have the chance to buy movie tickets for just $10, any day of the week.*

To be a member of Optus Movie Rewards, you must be an existing Optus customer and register at: www.optusrewards.com.au.

For further information, please contact:
Liz Hunt
Bang PR
liz@bangpr.com.au
02 9018 2222

Notes to Editors:

*Tickets valid any time except after 5.00pm Saturday evenings and on public holidays. Not valid Gold Class. Surcharges apply for Vmax and 3D screenings.

The study of 1,052 Australians aged 18 years and over was conducted online via Lonergan Research in September 2011, amongst members of a permission-based panel. After interviewing, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.