Sisu producer on how to make a Finnish blockbuster and conquer Hollywood

Jalmari Helander’s Finnish actioner Sisu distributed worldwide by Sony, Nordisk Film in the Nordics and Lionsgate in the US, has now crossed $11.7m at the global box office and $7.3 million in the US, making it the biggest majority-produced Finnish film in the US and biggest Finnish film of the 21^st century, according to the Finnish Film Foundation.

Global revenues will continue to soar in cinemas with other major territories such as France still to open (June 21) and the US home entertainment soon to kick off.

But as explained by Helander’ long-time producer Petri Jokiranta of Subzero Entertainment, Sisu’s B.O. splash - especially in the US - was long in the planning.

“We have planned this for more than a decade. When we did Jalmari’s feature debut Rare Exports in 2010, our goal was already to do a film which would have a wide US release. It’s a dream come true!” said Jokiranta who takes us through the learnings - creative and financial - that led to Sisu’s success story.

With his debut feature Rare Exports about an evil Santa Claus, Jalmari immediately turned into a name to watch in the genre market. Produced by Jokiranta for around $2m, the Finnish-language film got a wide international release via Grégoire Melin’s Kinology sales outfit. “We were very lucky to have met him and for Rare Exports to be on top of the slate of his newly launched company at the time,” said Jokiranta.

Eager to make it bigger with their next feature, Jalmari and Jokiranta then hired an A-list international cast led by Samuel L. Jackson and Jim Broadbent for the action-adventure in Finnish and English language Big Game (2014). The $10m film was fully shot in Germany, and again, Jokiranta teamed up with a key partner: Will Clarke, who had recently set up his own shingle, the vertically integrated UK group Altitude, and set Big Game as his slate puller.

‘Working with new indie companies, active in co-financing and sales is a great asset and a strategy that has been crucial in fast-establishing Helander on the global market,” noted Jokiranta.

The film received a day-and-date release in the US via Europa Corp, and did very well on the home entertainment market, said the producer. “It was a fruitful experience. We did recoup all the soft money and got overages”, Jokiranta said.

Then for his third feature endeavour, Jalmari opted for a sci-fi comedy, to be partly shot in Canada. But Covid struck, forcing the visionary filmmaker, his producer and partners already on board – UK-based Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos, Antonio Salas of Asako Ltd, and Gregory Ouanhon of French/US Good Hero, to find alternative plans.

The team set on a new mission to make a film entirely in Finland, with no A-list int’l cast to move faster with the financing, and a clearer target audience.

Finnish Rambo
“Although Rare Exports and Big Game were received quite well, both critically and commercially, we came to realise that with a young boy in the lead, they were difficult to position on the action-movie market. Therefore, Jalmari decided for his next move to create a straight-forward story of a man who just refuses to die, with a clearer adult audience in mind,” explains the producer.

Jalmari then went back to his childhood dream of making an 80s action movie in Finland, a ‘Finnish Rambo’. The first draft of Sisu was finished in less than two months, and the script received several rounds of polish, while Jalmari visualised the treatment with stunning drawings.

Financing for the $6m film could kick-start, with Goodridge, Ouanhon and Salas back on board.

For Jokiranta, having partners with solid sales experience such Goodridge (former head of Protagonist Pictures) and Salas (former MGM sales and acquisition exec) were a formidable asset.

“The script for Sisu was an absolute joy to read, so there was never any doubt that I would leap to be involved,” Goodridge told us.

The strength of the script is precisely what immediately draw major investors, from US studios to major streamers. “It was crazy! The first version of the script was so good that it triggered a bidding war,” Jokiranta recalls.

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions got the upper hand, securing worldwide rights outside the Nordics. “I thought-I have never done a negative pick-up deal with a US studio, so this is my chance. But it is still an indie European film majority-produced in Finland,” observed Jokiranta who also preferred keeping hold of his IP than going the streamers buy-out route. “If a movie does well in cinemas, then your earning chances are much bigger, plus Jalmari enjoys creating entertaining movies for the big screen,” continues Jokiranta.

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Although the seasoned producer had some apprehension about working with a Hollywood studio regarding the final cut, he said Sony and their Stage 6 label were “extremely supportive all the way” and provided “constructive feedback”.

They also approved the Nordic cast-led by Jorma Tommila and Aksel Hennie and the round of financing was completed with support from the Finnish Film Foundation, Business Finland, Tampere Finland, Film Tampere MTV-C More, Cofiloisirs and IFCIC in France.

“Exactly one year after Jalmari started to write the first draft, we were able to start filming in September 2021. It was amazing,” admits Jokiranta.

A year later, the film received rave reviews following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness screening, which triggered a second bidding war from US distributors, with Lionsgate securing rights.

“Lionsgate had a background in action movies, and cleverly drew parallels in their marketing between Sisu and their John Wick franchise, positioning the film to a core male audience. That might be one of the reasons why the release went so well in the US,” notes Jokiranta.

Sisu Learnings
Summarising lessons learned, the producer said: “You do need a solid script and a director with a vision, but not necessarily a bankable directing name and an A-list cast to get a major US release. Having the right partners at the right time is also essential, as well getting the right distributors and sales company on board.”

On the creative side, Jokiranta said creating a main protagonist for a clear target audience was key, as well as a main character “who doesn’t speak much but acts”.

“We also learned that if you want to do violent stuff-go all the way, but in a way that is original. The core audience wants to be surprised.”

“Also, if you want to do fantasy or action movies-don’t shoot in the middle of a major city-go to a remote place where you can get good production value for less money, and stunning cinematic landscapes like Lapland.”

For Goodridge, the film’s success was really down to “Jalmari’s own exhilarating sense of Finnish ‘Sisu’ [translated from Finnish as to never give up]. “Yes, there are some familiar one-man-army tropes, but the story is unique in its landscape and history, and Jalmari creates set pieces that you have never seen before. He has a delirious sense of fun which audiences can feel when they watch his films, and this masterful action movie can appeal to audiences around the world because it is both very Finnish and yet doesn’t have dialogue,”, argued the British producer.

Jokiranta is also satisfied with the film’s performance in Finland where Sisu has attracted over 181,000 cinemagoers, making it the second biggest local film of 2023 after the family franchise Ricky Rapper and the Wild Machine. In Norway, the film has sold nearly 15,000 tickets, partly on the back of Aksel Hennie’s star pedigree.

So what’ s next for Helander?

“Most probably another action movie, perhaps a Sisu 2, or something similar,” said his production partner who might for the first time in 16 years let his protégé fly solo.

“There is a momentum for Jalmari in the US with Sisu. It might be the right time for him to work in Hollywood,” said Jokiranta.