The Sapphires sparkles at box office

A scene from The Sapphires.

NATIONAL: Australian film The Sapphires has made a sparkling box office debut, coming in at No 2 in its opening weekend.

It raked in $2.340 million over the weekend, surpassed only slightly by the latest Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises.

The Sapphires is a film based on a true story of four young Aboriginal women who sing for US troops during the Vietnam war.

It was the only Australian production to crack the box office top 10, as US releases continued their usual dominance.

The Dark Knight Rises, the final instalment of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, waned slightly, but still took in $2.742 million, hitting nearly $37 million nationally in its four weeks of release.

The Campaign, a political satire starring Will Ferrell as a sleazy US congressman running for re-election, was an instant vote winner, coming in at No 3 at $2.039 million.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter couldn’t sustain its bite at the box office, slipping from fourth to seventh in its second week.

Top 10 at the Australian Box Office this weekend:

1. The Dark Knight Rises – $2.742 million (Warner Bros)

2. The Sapphires – $2.340 million (Eone/Hopscotch)

3. The Campaign – $2.039 million (Warner Bros)

4. Magic Mike – $1.426 million (Roadshow)

5. Step Up 4: Miami Heat – $1.212 million (Universal)

6. Ted – $600,638 (Universal)

7. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – $539,024 (Fox)

8. Ice Age 4: Continental Drift – $250,317 (Fox)

9. Brave – $113,882 (Walt Disney)

10. The Amazing Spider-Man – $86,821 (Sony Pictures)

AAP