27 August 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had its premiere in Melbourne on 11 December 2020, and was released wide by Roadshow Films in Australia and New Zealand on 1 January 2021. It was announced on 9 February 2021 that through Cornerstone Films, the film has entered into distribution deals with Leonine for German-speaking Europe, Swift for France, Notorious for Italy and Spain, Selmer Media for Scandinavia, Three Lines for Benelux, M2 Films for Eastern Europe, Terry Steiner International for international airlines and ships, with UK negotiations ongoing at the time. It was announced on 18 February 2021 that IFC Films acquired the film for distribution in North America, with a release in cinemas and on-demand on 21 May 2021. The film had its North American premiere at the SFFILM Festival on 10 April 2021, and was named one of the must-see films of the festival. Reception Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of . The site's critics consensus reads: "A slow-burning crime drama anchored by a solid central performance from Eric Bana, The Dry offers gripping thrills for genre fans." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The Guardian gave a positive review, saying "The film remains rock solid throughout: taut, tough and tense, matching wide-open spaces with uncomfortably close drama." Box office The Dry is among the top ten highest-grossing film of 2020 in Australia with A$20.1 million. The film made AU$3.5 million during its opening weekend in the Australian box office making it one of the highest grossing Australian film opening weekends ever, and the best debut for an Australian-made feature at the country’s box office from an independent studio. After five weeks, the film stood at more than A$19 million (US$14.6 million) and had overtaken Muriel's Wedding and The Water Diviner to rank 17th on Australia’s all-time top 20, just behind The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. By 23 March, the film had passed the A$20 million mark and was now the 14th-highest-grossing Australian film of all time, outpacing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Accolades References External links 2020 films 2020 crime drama films 2020s mystery drama films 2020s police procedural films Australian crime drama films