News

In Wog Boys Forever, the once infamous Steve ‘The Wog Boy’ Karamitsis (Nick Giannopoulos) is now in his mid-life years, still single and working as a taxi driver. Life continues to pass him by until one day an old flame unexpectedly jumps into his cab. He realises ex- girlfriend Cleo (Sarah Roberts), might be the one that got […]

The post ‘Wog Boys Forever’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.

When it comes to The Wog Boy, Frank Lotito has enjoyed a progression from stage to screen.

The Melbourne actor turned director went from joining Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, and Alex Dimitriades in The Wogboys Live tour of 2015 to being behind the camera for the upcoming third instalment of the film franchise.

Slated for release early next year, Wog Boys Forever signals the return of Steve Karamitsis (Giannopoulos), who is working as a taxi driver and still single. His life takes a turn when he becomes the target of a revenge plan hatched by Brianna Beagle-Thorpe (Annabel Marshall-Roth), the Minister for Immigration, and her brother (Liam Seymour), who blame him for destroying their mother Raelene’s political career.

Vince Colosimo reprises his role as Frank Di Benedetto in the film, which is written and produced by Giannopoulos.

Lotito, who is long-time friends with Colosimo, said he was invited to work...

The Nine Network has commissioned a six part half-hour comedy which centres on a Lebanese family from Western Sydney who win the lottery and move to the Eastern Suburbs.

Here Come the Habibs is the first narrative comedy originated by a commercial-free-to-air broadcaster in more than two decades.

Among the last was Acropolis Now, which starred Nick Giannopoulos and Mary Costas and aired on the Seven Network from 1989 to 1992. (Seven commissioned one season of Kath & Kim in 2007 after the first three series screened on the ABC).

Rob Shehadie, Tahir Bilgic and Matt Ryan-Garnsey created the concept and brought it to executive producer Ben Davies.

Davies worked with Shehadie and Bilgic to develop the idea, the characters and their world, before partnering with Jungleboys. Phil Lloyd, Trent O'Donnell and Jason Burrows.

Chloe Rickard is set to produce the series with Darren Ashton (Wonderland, Offspring, Rush, Bed of Roses) as the director.

Paul Fenech has built up quite a cult following with his movies and TV series in the past 14 years but Fenech fans must have had other distractions last weekend.

How else to explain the relatively tame opening of the director-actor-writer.s latest opus, Fat Pizza vs Housos?

The comedic battle of thongs, chainsaws, bikies and pizzas, which stars Fenech, Johnny Boxer, Maria Venuti and Elle Dawe, with cameos from Nick Giannopoulos, Kyle Sandilands and Angry Anderson, rang up $280,000 on 121 screens and $296,000 with previews.

Minus previews, that.s 46% below the 2012 debut of Housos vs Authority, which grabbed $526,000 on 151 screens and wound up earning $1.35 million.

It.s dubious whether anyone chose to go to the second weekend of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1, rather than the caper set in the infamous housing commission suburb of Sunnyvale.

But Transmission Films. Andrew Mackie tells If, .We were on fewer screens this time and...

Our society is constantly being shaped by a constant influx of immigrants from all cultural backgrounds, and the influences they bring with them. But for a country that prides itself on its multiculturalism, there is a very limited amount of ‘ethnic’ content in the media, aimed specifically at these groups. Aravind Balasubramaniam reports.

The statistics are well known,” said audio and language content director at Sbs, Dirk Anthony. “One in four Australians is either born overseas or has parents of migrant backgrounds, so it is very important that we recognise that fact and continue to be able to communicate Australian messages in the relevant languages”.

The media landscape appears not to have evolved with this increase in migrant population and the consequent growth in demand for specialised content. When taking into consideration the early identification

of the Hispanic population in the U.S as a potential market, Australia’s reaction...

From Paramount/Transmission we have the hit comedy The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2, directed by Peter Andrikidis.

Nick Giannopoulos is back as Steve, and this time he takes his best mate Frank (Vince Colosimo) to the island of Mykonos to claim an inheritance. A harmless, good-intentioned comedy full of predictable situations, but also a very stylish movie of high production values that has nothing to envy its Hollywood counterparts and looks like a Greek tourism commercial – and that’s not a bad thing!

The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

To win, email miguel@focalattractions.com.au and tell us, what’s your favourite comedy sequel?...

The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 has opened at #2 of the Greek box office.

Paramount Pictures reports that the film sold 43,000 tickets on 50 screens, while Box Office Mojo reveals earnings of U$203,620 during its first weekend, from 59 screens (average U$3,451) for a total of U$420,384 (A$495, 429).

The comedy, directed by Peter Andrikidis and starring Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colosimo, was behind Sex and the City 2 in its second week, with U$554, 877 on 120 screens. The latest entry in the Sex and the City franchise has earned U$1.96m in Greece.

The film, which received financing from the Greek Film Centre and Greek distributor Odeon S.A., has made $4.1m in Australia since its release on May 20.

The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 has opened at number two of the Australian box office with $1,828,902.

Distributors Paramount/Transmission announced that the film’s opening is currently the highest for an Australian film this year, ahead of Bran Nue Dae’s $1,611,000.

The sequel opened with 203 screens (average $9,009).

According to Transmission MD Richard Payten, the result is pleasing because it shows that “there is a real appetite for Australian mainstream comedies. Nick and his team know their audience so well and have proven that for a second time.”

The Kings of Mykonos is the sequel to Nick Giannopoulos’ 2000 film The Wog Boy, which made more than $11m at the box office. It was directed by Peter Andrikidis and produced by Giannopoulos himself, with See-Saw Films’ Emil Sherman.

The number one film was once again Riddley Scott’s Robin Hood (Universal), starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

The romantic comedy I Love You Too...

When you have an $11.4m comedy in your hands, a sequel is a no-brainer, even if it takes 10 years to make it happen. Miguel Gonzalez met with the creators of The Kings of Mykonos and discussed why ‘ethnic’ content is the secret to domestic and international success.

Five years ago actor/writer/producer Nick Giannopoulos started developing a story about a couple of Australians with a Mediterranean background going back to their ancestral homeland for the first time, only to discover that it is no longer the same place their parents left, and that they are, in fact, more Australian than they ever thought they were.

“It’s an Australian fish-out-of-the-water comedy, shot in Greece yet uniquely Australian. That’s why Crocodile Dundee worked; these are western suburbs Melbourne boys plonked into the middle of one of the most cosmopolitan islands in the world, with their thongs and broad Australian accents,...

According to Producer Emile Sherman, the current Greek economic crisis will not affect the release of The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 in that country.

“The Greek distributors have not changed their plans. It’s coming out in June for the beginning of summer,” Sherman told Encore.

The film, which was shot mostly on location in the Greek island of Mykonos, is the sequel to Nick Giannopoulos’ hit 2000 comedy. It will be released by Odeon S.A. in Greece on June 3.

“In tough economic times people tend to go to the movies as it’s a great, relatively cheap form of entertainment,” added Sherman.

The Kings of Mykonos follows wog boys Steve and Frank travel to Greece to claim an inheritance. It was produced by Sherman’s See-Saw Films and Giannopoulos’ G.O. films, with support from Screen Australia, Film Victoria, the Greek Film Centre, Odeon and private investment.

The...

It's been announced that Alex Dimitriades will join the cast of the upcoming Wog Boy sequel, Wog Boy 2-The Kings of Mykonos. Appearing alongside original stars Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colosimo, the original heartbreak kid will be joined by American star Kevin Sorbo, Greek actress Zeta Makrypoulia and Miss Italy and Italian TV star Cosima Coppola who will be making her feature film debut.

The follow-up to the hugely successful 2000 film, The Wog Boy directed by Aleski Vellis is getting a sequel titled Wog Boy 2: The Kings of Mykonos which is set to begin filming in September. The sequel is to be directed by TV vet Peter Andrikidis, who by his surname alone would know a thing or two about being a wog.   Nick Giannopoulos, who seems to have been on cinema hiatus since his last film (and directorial debut) The Wannabes back in 2003, will reprise his role as Steve Karamitsis alongside Vince Colosimo (Body of Lies, Underbelly) who plays Frank.