The biggest month of the year for blockbuster releases will also feature the inaugural Eaglehawk Film Festival, which aims to tempt audiences back to their seats.

Star Cinema business manager Martin Myles said people were still shying away from their local theatres but he hoped they could be persuaded by big budget movies like Dune, to come back to the pictures.

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"It's been quiet in terms of patronage, there seems to be apprehension around,'' he said.

"That's happening across a lot of cinemas. We are not the only ones to experience it. We have been below the break-even point for three months now.

"We trust that over time they (the audiences) will return. We understand the reasons that people may have wanted to get through all of their Christmas preparations and have the day with their loved ones but we are certainly hoping for much brighter 2022."

Mr Myles is especially optimistic for the launch of the Eaglehawk Film Festival on January 14. The week-long celebration of film has been five years in the making and is will showcase foreign and homegrown cinema offerings.

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"This year's theme is: Gold. We are a gold rush town after all and it made a lot of sense. It's really diverse content and the feature is a new big budget Australia film starring Zac Effron.

"We really hope the community will get behind the film festival. We do have a very supportive community and we want them to be part of this and have a sense of ownership of it."

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