Kon-Tiki launched in all Norway's theatres: 164,191 admissions over weekend

by Jorn Rossing Jensen

28/08/2012 - After Norwegian directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning's €12.9 million action-adventure, Kon-Tiki [trailer], opened last Friday (August 24), as the first film ever to be premiered in all of Norway's 185 cinemas, it took a record number of 164,191 admissions during the weekend.

On Thursday (August 23) Sandberg, Rønning and their lead actors - Pål Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Tobias Santelmann, Jakob Oftebro and Agnes Kittelsen – arrived on the wooden raft from the film at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in Oslo, which for the first time hosted a film gala, attended by King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

The week before (August 18), the Aage Aaberge and Jeremy Thomas production for Nordisk Film Norway and UK's Recorded Picture Company had opened the 40th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, and it has been selected for the 37th Toronto International Film Festival, which runs between September 6-16. "The screening in Toronto is very important for the international sales strategy of the film," said Aaberge. While Nordisk Film Distribusjon AS handles Scandinavian distribution, UK’s Hanway Films is in charge of international sales and has licensed the film to DCM for Germany.

Scripted by Petter Skavlan, Kon-Tiki follows Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his five fellow scientists on their 8,000-kilometre voyage from South America for the Polynesian Islands on their primitive vessel, the Kon-Tiki, which lasted 101 days from April 28, 1947. Heyerdahl filmed the trip with his 16mm camera and was offered $200 for the unedited footage, but declined. His own 1950 documentary won an Oscar in 1952.