Admissions Iceland first 6 months: record high market share for local fare

Thanks to a variety of quality children’s films, dramas and comedies, Icelandic films sold 98,058 tickets, more than twice the 2017 numbers (43,251) at the same period, and BO gross reached ISK133,648,287 according to FRISK.

Bragi Thór Hinriksson’s football children’s film The Falcons was the top selling local film during that period, with 35,465 admissions. The film was number 3 at the Top 10 after the Marvel Studios hits Avengers-Infinity War and Black Panther. The animated film Ploey-You Never Fly Alone by Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson was the 7^th most successful film with 24,035 admissions. The Cannes Critics Week’s entry Woman at War by Benedikt Erlingsson also performed strongly, selling 13,044 tickets between May 23^rd and July 1^st 2018.

Total cinema attendance was admissions with 672,625 admissions and ISK831,084,784 gross BO, compared to 686,846 admissions and ISK 845, 778,666 gross the same period 2017.

The rest of the year looks very promising as Baldvin Z’s realistic drama Let Me Fall had the 4^th best opening ever for a local film when it premiered on September 7 with 8,229 admissions from 10 screens. After 10 days on screens, the drama had sold 23,503 tickets, making it the 8^th biggest film of 2018 in only 10 days.

According to Hallgrimur Kristinsson, head of the Icelandic exhibitors and distributors association FRISK, Let Me Fall should do as well or even better than upcoming films that should boost total end of year admissions include Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beats: The crimes of Grindelwald starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, as well as Universal’s post-apocalyptic Mortal Engines with Iceland’s Hera Hilmar in the female title role.

The top selling Nordic films were Finland’s WW2 drama The Unknown Soldier, watched by 2,990 Icelanders, followed by the Norwegian children’s film Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder (698 admissions).

Iceland-First half 2018-Top 10 films
Source: FRISK

Iceland-First half 2018-Top 10 Icelandic Films
Source: FRISK