Sweden's beloved troubadour and poet who passed away in 1987 is brought back to life via Norway's charismatic actor/singer Hans-Erik Dyvik Husby, alias Hank von Helvete. The actor's strong performance and striking resemblance with the real Cornelis is at the heart of Svensk Filmindustri's marketing campaign. "Erik Dyvik Husby IS Cornelis and we've built our campaign around him," said Eva Svendenius, head of theatrical Distribution for Svensk Filmindustri in Sweden.
SF Norge chose the same release date to build on the film's publicity and Hank von Helvete's fan base. A long lead trailer campaign and several sneak previews were booked to build word of mouth and attract the primary 35+ audience, as well as younger audiences. "Music has no age limit and Cornelis' songs in particular are well known by different age groups," said Svendenius. The Warner Bros soundtrack was widely promoted and advertising concentrated on TV, outdoor and print media in both territories. An almost identical artwork was used for the poster image in Sweden and in Norway. No release date has yet been set for the film's theatrical release in Denmark and Finland.
The film was produced by Chamdin & Stöhr Film, in co-production with Sonet Film, SVT, Warner Music Group, Film i Väst, SF Norge with support from the SFI and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. So far, SF's biggest Swedish hit is Balls (Farsan) by Josef Fares (over 500,000 admissions). SF's next major Swedish release is Colin Nutley's Änglagård 3 (House of Angels 3) scheduled to open on December 25.