In Sweden, as many as four titles were in the Top Ten last weekend including three released by SF. Ella Lemhagen's comedy with a twist Patrik Age 1.5 was number three (30,853 admissions from 53 screens), the animation film Mamma Moo & Crow was number four in its second weekend (over 40,000 admissions from 46 screens), and the epic Arn - The Kingdom at Road's End shown on 117 screens was number five. Jan Troell's quality period film Everlasting Moments, which opened on 25 screens, gave Sandrew Metronome 9,039 admissions, carried by rave reviews. "We have talked a lot about the exceptionally strong start of the autumn for Swedish films. This is now confirmed by cinema attendance as audiences have rushed to see those films. This feels really good, and it is just the beginning. We have all the reasons to believe in more successes for Swedish films before the end of the year," commented the head of the Swedish Film Institute Cissi Elwin. The next Swedish title to open this Friday is Maria Blom's Fishy.
In Denmark, the high audience awareness on Journey to Saturn, the science-fiction spoof animation based on Claus Deleuran's classic Danish comic book, paid off far above any expectations for production outfit A Film and distributor Nordisk Film. Journey to Saturn had the best opening ever for an animation film and the fourth best opening for any Danish film since 2000 according to figures from the Danish Film Institute. It opened for a top position in the Top Ten, selling over 93,000 tickets (including previews). The second place was taken by Anja & Viktor, in Sickness and in Health, the fifth installment in the romantic comedy series produced by Regner Grasten (176,303 admissions from 130 screens for Nordisk). The comedy Blå Mænd (Take the Trash) produced by Fridthjof Film and released by Scanbox, hardly moved in its seventh week, dropping only from third to fourth position. Total admissions are now at over 380,000 from 97 screens, making it the second biggest Danish film of 2008 after Flame & Citron (667,000 admissions).
The fourth Danish title in the Top Ten was Kasper Barfoed's thriller The Candidate, number five with 153,516 admissions for SF. The Scandinavian major's Arn-The Kingdom at Road's End, was number eight in its second weekend. The local film's market share will undoubtedly continue to climb this weekend with the release of Claus Bjerre's popular series Father of Four-Back Home, released by Scanbox on 125 screens this Friday.
In Finland, the one million admission figure for local films which wasn't reached before the end of the year in 2007, has now been passed, and local films market share currently stands at 20% according to the Finnish Film Foundation. Last weekend, the new Kummeli franchise film produced by Solar Films, kept its top position at the local Top Ten, with over 112,000 tickets sold for Nordisk Film. The Novelist (Päätalo) by Hannu Kahakorpi, opened last Friday for a third place and 17,145 admissions (including previews). The film is produced MRP Matila Röhr Productions and released by Nordisk Film. The children's film Stormheart at number six has sold over 78,000 tickets for Walt Disney Studios.
The next local premiere on October 10 will be the much anticipated family animation film Niko and the Way to the Stars (Niko - lentäjän poika) by Kari Juusonen and Michael Hegner, produced by Finland's Anima Vitae and Cinemaker, in co-production with A.Film (Denmark), Magma Films (Ireland) Ulysses (Germany) with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
In Norway, four domestic films (including the co-production Arn 2) were at the Top Ten last weekend: Erik Poppe's drama Troubled Water (De usynlige) opened at number four for Scanbox (over 15,000 admissions); Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen's comedy The Last Joint Venture was number seven in its fifth weekend, cumulating 123,000 admissions for Nordisk, Eva Isaksen's The House of Fools (De gales hus), another Nordisk release, was number nine in its second weekend, with over 30,000 admissions, and Arn 2 still playing in 34 screens for SF, was number 10 (over 66,000 admissions). Two resistance films set during WW2 are opening this Friday: the Danish hit Flame & Citron (Sandrew Metronome) and Knut Erik Jensen's Iskyss (‘Ice Kiss') distributed by SEG.
In Iceland, only Valdís Óskarsdóttir's Country Wedding (Samfilm) was in the Top Ten last weekend, in last position, but the champion of box office Baltasar Kormákur is back this Friday as lead actor in Reykjavik-Rotterdam.
"My salad dressing is out-grossing my films."
Actor, director, humanitarian, entrepreneur, race-car driver, who died September 26, 2008 speaking, about the downside of his successful Newman's Own line of foods.
Courtesy Portfolio