The good news is that after Covid, Norwegians have returned to the cinemas. During the first six months, admissions at nearly 4 million were considerably higher than during the same period in 2021 (1 million), although 20% down from 2019 or 27% down from 2015-19 in pre-pandemic times, according to the cinema association Film & Kino.

The slightly lower admissions compared to pre-Covid, are partly due to some restrictions that were still in place the first few months of the year, to curb Omicron variant infections, and tentpoles that waited until later in the spring to launch nationally, according to Film & Kino’s Jørgen Stensland, who also underlined that the mature audience was slower to return to the silver screens.

Hollywood and UK franchises were the biggest draws, from Spider-Man: No Way Home, to Top Gun: Maverick, Sing 2, The Batman and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The only Norwegian film in the top 10, Harald Zwart’s comedy Long, Flat Balls 3-also based on a well-known brand-came in at number 9.

Norwegian films that had secured 19% of the market in 2021 -even 22% in 2020 - with less competition from the US during the pandemic- dropped to a 11% share from 432,485 admissions.

This is 30% down from 2019, and 46% down from the period 2015-19, where Norwegian films averaged a 15% market share. But as explained by Stensland, very few Norwegian films actually premiered the first six months of the year, and the much-awaited WW2 epic Narvik, originally scheduled to open in March, was delayed to December 25, when war in Ukraine broke out.

Three documentaries fared quite strongly, and took the last three spots at the Top 10: Alt for Norge co-directed by Daniel Høglund and Jo Vemund Svendsen, Vegg Vegg Vegg by Erik Treimann and Tommy Gulliksen, as well as Name of the Game by Håvard Bustnes.

The second half of the year-traditionally the strongest for local films, with the biggest titles kept for that period - will no doubt lift up local films’ market share, and potential tentpoles lined up include the franchise title Olsenbanden-Siste skrik from Børning director Hallvard Bræin, the quality period movie The Emigrants by Erik Poppe, kids movie Teddy’s Christmas by Andrea Eckerbom, chiller Viking Wolf by Stig Svendsen, and the animated films Titina by Kajsa Næss, Super Super and Three Robbers and a Lion, by box office champion Rasmus A. Sivertsen.

To see Norwegian - January to June 2022 Admissions Charts: CLICK HERE