The Cannes Jury Prize winner attracted 42,308 moviegoers after three days-including previews-, making it the best domestic opening ever for an Aki Kaurismäki film.

Launched by B-Plan September 15, Fallen Leaves went straight to number 1 with 31,308 ticket sales from 130 cinemas.

Only one other Finnish film - the kids franchise Ricky Rapper and the Wild Machine - crossed the 30,000 threshold for a three-day screen debut in 2023, with 31,455 admissions, according to the distributor.

"This is a wonderful opening result, even by the standard of Kaurismäki's films,” said B-Plan Distribution’s managing director Helena Mielonen. “The result is particularly gratifying for cinemas for whom domestic films are a lifeline. Based on the feedback received from the cinemas, viewers who haven't been to the movies post-pandemic came back for Fallen Leaves and the hopefulness and warmth of the film resonated particularly well with the audience, considering the current climate,” she added.

The film produced by Kaurismäki’s Sputnik with Bufo, is this year’s Finnish Oscar candidate and it was recently nominated for the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award.

Last weekend, another two Finnish films were in the Top 5 Finland: Finnkino’s reality-based drama Lapua 1976 by Toni Kurkimäki which has sold 84,808 tickets after three weeks, and the animated film Comet in Moominland, which opened at number 5 for SF Finland with 8,828 admissions from 92 screens.