Hollywood blockbuster summer season has started with its share of sequels (Hangover 3, Feast & Furious 6, Iron Man 3, Star Trek into Darkness) and 3D movies (Epic), already dominating the Top Nordic charts. Also in last weekend’s Top Ten Denmark, Norway and Sweden were the Cannes entries The Great Gatsby (FC/Warner) and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives released by Scanbox with a 15+ certificate.

Launched in 137 screens in the three major Nordic territories, Refn’s film which had divided critics and festivalgoers in Cannes, received similar reactions in Scandinavia, with slight variations from one territory to the next. Lisbet Stolberg, Nordic Marketing Manager, Scanbox Entertainment said: “Only God Forgives is a highly artistic film and it captures the tremendous talent of Nicolas Winding Refn. The press’ reaction to the film in the Nordic countries has been very different, from mostly appraisal in Denmark to more criticism in Sweden. As for the audience’s reaction it is the same. Some people love it and others are disappointed it is not Drive 2 but a different type of film. The opening of the film is according to our projections”.  

In Denmark, Only God Forgives opened at number 5 and sold 9,412 tickets from 59 prints with an admission/screen average of 124. Another Danish film by a world renowned director - Søren Kragh-Jacobsen’s thriller The Hour of the Lynx, took the sixth place in its second weekend of release under FC/SF’s banner. Total admissions to date are 37,840 from 103 screens. The third Danish film in the Top Ten last weekend was Michael Noer’s Northwest, released by Nordisk Film, which came in at number 10 with 749 extra tickets sold for a total of 102,493 after seven weeks on screens.

In Norway Only God Forgives came in at number 6, selling 2,636 tickets from 50 prints.
The Norwegian animation film Ploddy the Police Car on the Case kept its fourth place. Total admissions after five weeks are at 128,487 for the Nordisk Film release.

In Sweden Only God Forgives had a smaller release on 28 screens and 2,673 paying customers came to watch it in its first three days. US films filled the rest of Sweden’s Top Ten.

In Finland the local comedy 21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage continued to show phenomenal muscle in its 17th week on national release via Nordisk Film. The film was number six last weekend and total admissions are nearing 400,000.

In Iceland the local comedy Spooks and Spirits by Águst Gudmundsson was number 12 it its 10th week on screens. Total admissions for Samfilm are 10,523. Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt is holding on to its 14th place and total tickets sold after 15 weeks are at 20,340 for Sena.