“It took me a week to get a ticket. The film sold out its Wellington screenings for five straight days. The Thursday afternoon session I got into was also a sell-out”. Graeme Tuckett, Stuff.
River of Freedom had its world premiere on September 7, 2023 and this week concludes its seventh week in New Zealand cinemas. Screenings are winding down nationwide now, with most screenings drawing to a close by the end of the first weekend in November.
All screening information is located on the official film website here.
The documentary has had remarkable success and solidified its position in the top echelons of the NZ Box Office – consistently maintaining a spot in the top 13 films in New Zealand.
It reached the number one spot on Thursday, September 21, 2023 during its 3rd week in cinemas with a daily box office of $19,000. More recently, it secured the fifth position on Thursday, October 12, in its sixth week, with a daily box office of $8,600. The current total New Zealand box office now exceeds $360,000.
The independent film was self-distributed by a small, hardworking team and launched into just nine cinemas, but quickly garnered widespread attention with that number increasing quickly to 52 cinemas and sold-out screenings across the country.
Filmakers Director Gaylene Barnes [and] Producer Jared Connon are, “Grateful and humbled by the incredible support the film has had across the country” and encourage New Zealanders who haven’t seen it yet, to book their last-chance tickets to avoid missing out.
River of Freedom shares the inside story of [the] NZ Convoy and the Parliament protest in Wellington during February and March 2022. Captured by professional filmmakers, this film lays out the reasons behind the protest – who the people were, why they were there, and what happened.
You can view the film’s trailer here.