Madsen’s drama opened March 5 in 99 cinemas, via SF Studios.

Because of its controversial story inspired by the real life terrorist attack at Copenhagen’s Krudttønden café and Synagogue of February 14, 2015, the film had already benefitted from a high visibility, and received overall good reviews in the local media.

But the film had time just to sell nearly 15,000 tickets, before local cinemas had to shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak. SF Studios then decided - in conjunction with producer Malene Blenkov of Creative Alliance and the Danish Film Institute - to break the traditional theatrical window and offer the film quicker to online viewers, to build on the audience’s awareness. 

SF Studios’ distribution manager Frederik Juul said: “The entire film industry is in an unfortunate situation, which requires us to think alternatively. But I would like to emphasise strongly that this approach is in no way an indication that - under normal circumstances - we wish to depart from the traditional holdback period of 122 days, which normally spans from a film’s theatrical release to its launch on a digital platform.”

Claus Ladegaard, CEO at the Danish Film Institute added: “The Day We Died only had a limited theatrical run. It is a film of significant cultural importance that deserves a large audience. The film can get it now when it is released digitally. It is the right decision and a responsible decision to distribute the film on digital platforms and I hope it will have a big impact on the distribution of the film.”

The film will be available April 9 on the platforms SF Anytime, Blockbuster, Viaplay, Apple TV (iTunes), Rakuten TV, Goodle Play, Canal Digital and Playstation Store. 

REinvent Studios handles world sales.  The Day We Died was backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.