Nordic admissions: Danish, Finnish, Icelandic films on top of the charts

Cinema admissions are slowly moving back to pre-pandemic levels across the Nordics - with the exception in Sweden - and local titles that had been waiting for the right slot to launch nationwide are finally meeting their audience.

Comparing admissions in the three biggest Nordic territories Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and the periods 28.02-24.04 in 2022 with 25.02-21.04 in 2019 and 26.02-22.04 in 2018 (see chart here under), Klaus T. Odegaard, VP Acquisition and Theatrical Distribution for Nordisk Film said: “Denmark seems in fine shape and Sweden has not gotten back into the momentum. Norway is somewhere in the middle, but absolutely in fair shape. Of course, some will argue that the flow of films is still not where it was in ‘the old days’ and some local titles in Sweden have not been released theatrically as they would have in the past,” he added.

Last weekend’s top charts in the Nordics showed healthy competition between a handful of local titles in each territory with Hollywood crowd-pullers Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (SF/WB) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (UIP).

In Denmark two local WW2 dramas and sequels to previous hits, were attractive offers, proving audiences’ interest in stories about family ties and heroism, while war in Ukraine is waging.

Anders Refn’s WW2 drama Out of Darkness (De forbandede år 2: oppgøret), sequel to his 2020 film Into the Darkness, went straight to number 1 for Scanbox, with 28,003 admissions from 131 screens. The first film sold 363,000 tickets after its release in the middle of the pandemic in 2020.

Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis’ The Bereaved (Hvisdstengruppen 2 de efterladte), sequel to This Life which sold 765,000 tickets in 2012, ranked 5^th in its 7^th week on screens via Nordisk Film. With an extra 4,153 admissions from 56 screens, 208,069 Danes have now seen the film.

At number 7, Niels Arden Oplev’s Rose added 3,562 admissions in its 9^th week, pushing the cumulated tally to 343,239. The Nordisk Film release starring Sofie Gråbøl is now the biggest Danish film of the year.

Meanwhile the family film The Crumbs-Hard to be 11Years Old (krummerne-det er svært at være 11 år) by Michael Asmussen is nearing 100,000 after six weeks. The Nordisk Film release dropped quite significantly from the previous weekend (-76% in B.O.) and ranked number 9.

In Finland, the male-oriented action comedy MC Helper BeKings by actor/writer/director Kaitsu Walfrid Rinkinen, had a smashing start on domestic screens via Aurora Studios.

With 13,964 visitors after three days (14,009 with previews), the film went straight to number 1 and posted the best opening weekend for a Finnish film and third best weekend among all 2022 releases after Fantastic Beats: The Secrets of Dumbledore (40,316) and The Batman (38,171) according to the Finnish Film Institute. The feature about the moped club MC Helper stars Rinkinen, actress/producer Janne Kaperi, Tuomas Rinkinen, Sami Kemell, and Tommi Korpela. The previous film MC Helper 3 by YouTube influencer Rinkinen was a big success on the streamer Elisa Viihde in 2018.

Two other Finnish films entered the top 10 last weekend. The Sundance-selected coming-of-age Girl Picture (Tytöt Tytöt Tytöt) by Alli Haapasalo ranked number 7 with 2,370 extra ticket sales in its third week. The Nordisk Film release has now gathered 12,076 visitors.

Meanwhile Taito Kawata’s documentary JVG-the Movie about the Finnish rap-duo sold an extra 1,454 tickets in its 5^th week on screens for a 10^th spot. So far 44,768 film fans have seen the SF Studios release, making it the third biggest Finnish film of 2022 after the family film Vinski and the Invisibility Powder (83,492 admissions in 2022) and 70 Is Just a Number (66,934).

In Iceland, Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s critically-acclaimed Berlinale Panorama entry Beautiful Beings (Berdreymi) had the biggest B.O. gross last weekend (IS 2,380,706) and ranked number 3 in admission terms - after Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Fantastic Beasts - with 1,260 ticket sales (2,160 with previews) for Sena.

The broad comedy The Very Last Fishing Trip (Allra síðasta veiðiferðin) ranked number 6 after six weeks on screens via Myndform. So far 21,493 Icelanders have seen the sequel to Thorkell Hardarson and Örn Marinó Arnarson’s 2020 hit The Last Fishing Trip.

In Norway, the local broad comedy Long Flat Balls 3 (Lange flate ballær 3) by Harad Zwart was the fourth biggest film of the weekend, after the US Studios’ offers Sonic The Hedgehog 2, The Lost City and Fantastic Beasts-The Secret of Dumbledore. Released by Øverste Hylle Filmdistribusjon, Zwart’s comedy about six football supporter buddies, is nearing 100,000 admissions in its 4^th week.

Meanwhile the documentary Alt for Norge about football legend Egil ‘Drillo’ Olsen who guided the national team from victory to victory in the 1990s, has opened at number 6, selling 4,434 tickets from 132 screens. The film co-directed by Daniel Høglund and Jo Vemund Svendsen has received rave reviews in the Norwegian press.

The third local film in the top 10 - Everybody Hates Johan (Alle hater Johan) by Hallvar Witzø has gathered 46,294 admissions so far in its 5^th week via Nordisk Film.

In Sweden, the much-awaited biopic about local football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic I am Zlatan has sold 208,911 tickets after six weeks for Nordisk Film, making it one of the biggest successes for a Swedish film post-pandemic.

The film had the third biggest admission per screen average after the top seller of the weekend Fantastic Beasts: the Secrets of Dumbledore, and third best-seller Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

The second local film in the top 10-the children’s animated franchise Bamse and the Volcano Island came in at number 8 with an extra 3,1117 admissions in its 18^th week for Nordisk Film. The animated film by Christian Ryltenius has sold a total of 228,009 tickets.

Sources:FAFID, Danish Film Institute, Nordisk Film Distribution, FRÍSK, Finnish Film Foundation, Filmikamari, Norske Filmbyråers Forening, Film & Kino, Filmweb.no, Filmägarnas Kontrollbyrå