Netflix snaps up Breaker Upperers
The Breaker Upperers are going global. The makers of the hit Kiwi comedy have secured a deal with Netflix which will mean it will debut on the platform next year.
Describing the deal as ‘‘the icing on the cake for what has been a really wonderful experience’’, co-producer Ainsley Gardiner said discussions opened with the streaming giant soon after the movie’s debut at March’s South By Southwest Film Festival in Texas.
‘‘My fellow producer Carthew Neal worked really hard to get the film in front of as many interested parties as possible and we knew Netflix was keen.
‘‘Carthew was great at making sure we were all – Mads and Jackie [co-directors, writers and stars Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek] – included and part of the discussion.
‘‘We have had to keep quiet for a couple of months now – which hasn’t been easy.’’
Gardiner, whose fellow producers also included Georgina Conder, James Wallace and Taika Waititi, said it also wasn’t the easiest decision choosing to allow the movie to bypass cinemas outside Australasia.
‘‘It was a matter of balance. A cinema release internationally is time-consuming and energyintensive. It can have its highs and lows and, in the end, it’s a risky business.
‘‘Netflix has incredible access to a huge audience who may not have otherwise had the chance to see the film.
‘‘Although it is beautifully shot by Ginny Loane, the nature of the characters and the humour is such that it works well on screens big and small. Hopefully, it is still a film the friends and family watch together. And we have been lucky enough to have had a huge successful theatrical release here.’’
Since opening on May 5, Sami and van Beek’s tale about two cynical women who run an agency aimed at helping people who want to ‘‘consciously uncouple’’, has made almost $1.7 million at the New Zealand Box Office. It is now 16th on the all-time list of Kiwi films, just behind The Topp Twins:
‘‘This is the icing on the cake for what has been a really wonderful experience.’’
Ainsley Gardiner
Ahead of a wide release in Australian cinemas on July 26, The Breaker Upperers made its debut across the Tasman last week as the opening night movie at the Sydney Film Festival.
Gardiner said they could not have asked for a better crowd reaction. ‘‘The packed 2000-seat theatre was filled with constant laughter. It was so loud that it drowned out some of the jokes.’’
Australian reviewers were also effusive. Screen International’s Sarah Ward described it as ‘‘a hilarious and heartfelt ode to female friendship’’ and The Guardian’s Luke Buckmaster impressed by Sami and van Beek, ‘‘whose smart-mouthed performances are full of pep and fizz’’.