Smash hit film Tinā surpasses Whale Rider at box office

Director Miki Magasiva’s debut feature film Tinā has pipped iconic Whale Rider at the box office to become the fifth most successful New Zealand film.

The film, released earlier this year across more than 100 locations in Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands, also claimed the third-highest opening week of all time for a local film.

Magasiva, who also wrote and produced the movie, says he’s incredibly proud of this achievement and thanked everyone involved.

Co-producer Dan Higgins says it is “humbling and surreal” to surpass the legacy of Whale Rider.

The film follows a choir teacher, Mareta Percival (played by Anapela Polataivao), who is grieving the death of her daughter in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Annie Murray says the success shows how audiences connected with the story.

“Breaking into the top five most successful New Zealand films of all time, and surpassing a beloved classic like Whale Rider, is no small feat,” Murray says.

“Tinā’s success in Aotearoa, combined with cinematic release in Australia and the United States, proves a distinctly local story can resonate globally. Its themes of grief, community, hope, and love speak to the human condition.

“Crucially, Tinā also shows that commercial and critical success are not mutually exclusive. When we invest in stories that speak to who we are, audiences show up in force.”

Tinā is preceded on the list by the Hunt For the Wilderpeople, Boy, The World’s Fastest Indian and Once Were Warriors.