Brad Pitt's World War Z smashes competition at the local box office Brad Pitt rushes to save the world from a viral zombie attack in World War Z. Picture: AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Jaap Buitendijk Source: AP THE Australian box-office has been overrun by zombies. A very strong opening weekend saw the horror-action blockbuster World War Z easily wrest the number-one position from previous holder Fast &Furious 6. Proving that there still plenty of life left in the dead-men-walking genre, World War Z grossed over $6 million against some hot new-release competition in Australian cinemas. Brad Pitt's recent promotional visit Down Under certainly paid dividends for the American star, resulting in his highest-ever opening in the Australian market. Sydney is tonight playing host to one of the world's biggest movie stars with Brad Pitt here for the premiere of his hotly anticipated zombie movie, World War Z Pitt's previous best-performing release here was the 2005 adventure hit Mr and Mrs Smith. Ahead of the coming school holidays, the animated productions Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University also drew healthy crowds in a period that enjoyed a 40% increase in business on the weekend prior. Despicable Me 2 took just over $5 million to grab second spot on the chart. Meanwhile Monsters University - which out-grossed World War Z to claim top spot in the US - came in a respectable third with a tough under $4 million in ticket sales. Recent hits Fast &Furious 6 and The Great Gatsby experienced steep declines on the weekend, while the critically-mauled comedy The Internship held relatively steady. Positive reviews across the board for the new Australian drama Satellite Boy did not provoke much enthusiasm among local audiences. A limited release on just 10 metro screens could only generate a meagre $30,000 opening weekend for Satellite Boy.