For those who care about Australian cinema, you may have been slightly irked at the news that local films accounted for under four per cent of the country's total box office takings last year.
In 2011 there were 44 Aussie films in cinemas, generating a total of just under $A43 million.
About half of that was from a single picture - 'Red Dog'.
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Debate over how to keep the local industry thriving has been going on for decades. Currently, pundits are looking to the new comedy 'Any Questions for Ben' in the hope it'll get the ball rolling on a more successful year.
It was made by production company Working Dog - responsible for Aussie classics 'The Castle' and 'The Dish'.
"I think we've got to tell stories. They've got to be interesting or entertaining or funny. I think that's always been our long suit," director Rob Sitch told SBS.
Australian cinema has a long and chequered history.
In the 1950s and '60s, a lack of investment saw the nation produce an average of just two films a year.
That was followed by a deluge of local productions in the 1970s thanks to generous government subsidies.
In 1986, Australian films drew more than 20 per cent of the local box office takings, but since then, the figures have ebbed and flowed.
Given the size of the Australian film industry relative to those of the US and Britain, just under four per cent of all box office takings is seen as an acceptable figure.
The federal government's key film funding body, Screen Australia, allocates up to $60 million annually for film production and development.
Australian films were in all the major film festivals around the world last year. But we always want more. Five (per cent of takings) is the new black," says CEO Ruth Harley.
Others are calling for Australian films to aim higher, and to separate commercial success from cultural relevance.
"We seem to get worried when a film is not both commercially successful and culturally relevant," says Dr Vincent O'Donnell from RMIT University.
"I think we have to be happy to see films that aren't culturally relevant made, as long as they're being made commercially, and are successful. I don't see 10 per cent as being a percentage we can't easily aspire to," he says.
The last time Australian films garnered 10 per cent of box office takings was in 1994-- thanks to 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert' and 'Muriel's Wedding'.
Dr O'Donnell says that in recent years, Screen Australia has shown more diversity in the films it chooses to fund, but several genres remain largely untested - including horror and science fiction.
There is a lot of hesitation to predict the future of an industry driven by risk and reward, with the answer ultimately lying in the films themselves and the onus is on the Australian public to see as many of them as possible.
SBS FILM: 'Any Questions for Ben?' trailer and review
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