Riders of Justice takes Bond’s Danish release slot in November

Production outfit Zentropa and distributor Nordisk Film have agreed to move up the dates of their anticipated film following the postponement of James Bond 25-No Time to Die to April 2021.

Frederik Honoré, Director of Nordisk Film Distribution Denmark said: “With the relocation of the James Bond film, the Danish cinemas were left with a giant gap in the market, and by moving Riders of Justice a month ahead, we give both the cinemas a unique opportunity to fill the halls with a great film, and the audience the chance to see a giant event film from November."  Honoré continues: “It's no secret that we have high expectations for Riders of Justice. It has tested absolutely fantastic and the audience thinks the film is both very funny and touching. The word of mouth is almost guaranteed to be excellent, and by premiering in November, it will get great market conditions, with no competition from US studio movies due to the numerous  shifts in release dates.”

Zentropa producer Sisse Graum Jørgensen added: “It is clear that the delay of the Bond premiere leaves a big void in the cinema market, and we see it as both an opportunity and an obligation towards Danish cinemas, to move our film up in November. Both Anders Thomas Jensen and Zentropa are really looking forward to the film having its cinema premiere in a month's time.”

Riders of Justice’s earlier launch comes at a time when Nordisk Film and Zentropa are enjoying the smashing success of another Mads Mikkelsen vehicle: Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round, which has already sold over 400,000 tickets after two and a half weeks on screens, despite Covid-19 restrictions. Those include max 500 capacity per screen, 2 square metre per cinema-goer in the auditorium, physical distance between bookings among others.

In the film Riders of Justice, Mads Mikkelsen plays Markus a deployed military man who goes home to his daughter Mathilde, when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. It seems to be plain bad luck, until the mathematics geek Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas] shows up with his two eccentric colleagues, Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro]. Otto who was also a passenger on the wrecked train, is convinced that someone was behind the accident.

The €5.3m film was produced by Zentropa’s Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann, in co-production with Film i Väst and Zentropa Sweden, with support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

TrustNordisk has closed initial sales with Benelux (September), the Baltics (Estin), Germany and Austria (Splendid), Russia and CIS (Cappella), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), Poland (Best Film), Hungary (Vertigo Media), Albania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia (Cinemania Groupicon).