Boy is on track to become one of the most successful movies to screen in local cinemas after a strong opening week but the industry is aiming for more than just the odd big film.

The film – written and directed by Taika Waititi – clocked up $866,121 in its first week in New Zealand, a stronger initial performance than Sione’s Wedding, Whale Rider and The World’s Fastest Indian.

Its opening day gross of $109,370 also put it ahead of those earlier films.

Boy might be a silly 11-year-old who thinks he knows everything, but that doesn¹t mean his story can’t have genuine emotional depth and some good jokes.

Taika Waititi’s film ­- his second full-length feature after Eagle vs Shark – is set somewhere in the eighties, far out in the back end of nowhere.

Taika Waititi has joined the cast of fellow New Zealand director Martin Campbell's Green Lantern. Produced by Warner Bros Pictures the filming is set to start later this month in New Orleans. The film is scheduled for a mid-2011 release.