Box office
As of 13 November 2016, The Dressmaker has grossed over US$24.11 million (AUS$32.14 million),[3][15][103][104] against a budget of US$11.9 million (AUS$17 million).[2]
The film opened at the number 1 position at Australian box office and earned US$697,791.12 (AUS $976,000) on its first day.[105][106] It opened in 384 theatres and grossed US$5,862.59 (AUS $8,200) per theatre, and made US$2.26 million (AUS $3.16 million) including previews, with total earning of over US$2.56 million (AUS $3.58 million) in its opening weekend in Australia.[107][108] Similarly it opened to number 1 position in New Zealand and grossed over US$220,329 (NZ $334,818) in three days.[109] In its second week, it retained its no. 1 position at the box office with US$5.8 million (AUS $8.23) in Australia and US$510,000 (NZ $333264.60) in New Zealand.[110][111]
It beat the record of Russell Crowe's The Water Diviner (2014) for the biggest Australian film opening at the box office[112] and became the second highest-grossing Australian film of 2015 after Mad Max: Fury Road and eleventh highest-grossing film of all time at the Australian box office.[15][16]
Critical response
Kate Winslet at the premiere of The Dressmaker at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Her performance received acclaim despite the film receiving generally mixed reviews.The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of January 2021, the film holds a 58% approval rating on review aggregation website, Rotten Tomatoes, based on 140 reviews with an average score of 5.83/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Dressmaker boasts a strong central performance by Kate Winslet and a captivating array of narrative weirdness -- all of which may or may not be a comfortable fit with viewers."[17] Metacritic gives a score of 47 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[113]
Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying, "Moorhouse's adaptation of Rosalie Ham's 2000 novel may lead audiences to expect a primmer, more well-behaved movie based on its title alone, but that doesn't mean it won't have them in stitches" and praised Winslet and Davis's performances: "Winslet, a difficult actress to root against under any circumstances, has us in her palm from the moment she steps into frame, looking like an avenging dark angel bathed in ’50s noir shadows." and "Davis, whose performance here as a booze-swilling, dementia-addled and infernally sharp-tongued old matriarch is enough of a hoot to make one further wonder what she might have done with the role of Violet Weston in August: Osage County, onscreen or onstage."[114] Sarah Ward of Screen International noted, "Light comedy, romantic drama, small-town secrets and revenge schemes might not seem an easy or winning mix; however in The Dressmaker, the combination fits." She also praised the costumes in the film, saying that "with the intricate work of costume designers Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson clearly pivotal."[115] Richard Ouzounian of The Star gave it four out of four stars, calling it "a true bravura style and manages to serve as revenge tragedy, romantic comedy and stylish entertainment all at once" and saying, "Winslet is smashing as Tilly Dunnage and Davis is sublime."[116] Jon Frosch in his review for The Hollywood Reporter said, "The Dressmaker is about as far from essential viewing as one could imagine, but, for all its brightly glaring flaws, much of it qualifies as a glossy, goofy guilty pleasure."[117]
However, Kevin Jagernauth in his review for Indiewire criticised the film, writing that it "wants to be a saucy and absurd tale of small town scandal, only to then attempt to try and turn the story completely inside out", which he describes as "a potentially interesting concept" that the movie "never commits to". However, he praised the cast: "Winslet anchors the lead role with sexiness and confidence, staying measured even [when] the movie around her isn't" and describes Judy Davis "stealing most of the scenes", and being "hilarious as Tilly's eccentric oddball mother".[118] Gregory Ellwood of HitFix gave the film a negative review and said, "it's hard to mix over-the-top comedy and serious drama."[119] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film two stars out of five, saying, "The film is a tonally uneven, genre-shifting hurricane of a thing, wildly careering off the rails and smashing into everything in its view,"[120] but Jake Wilson for The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that its "lurches from broad comedy to grim melodrama and back are evidently intentional, part of a strategy for throwing the viewer off-balance, along with the dramatic colour contrasts and spatial distortions ... and called it a "hoot and a shock to the system" that could be regarded as the "long-delayed feminist answer to Wake in Fright".[121]
Accolades
The film received 13 nominations for AACTA Awards and went on to win five awards, including Best Lead Actress for Winslet, Best Supporting Actress for Davis, Best Supporting Actor for Weaving, Best Costume Design and People's Choice Award for Favourite Australian Film.[20][18] Davis was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA International Awards.[122]
In The Hollywood Reporter's annual critic picks, Davis's performance in the film was included among "the 25 Best Film Performances of 2016".[123] It was one of the seven films shortlisted by the Academy Awards for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.[124]
