03/04/2003 - Local films take a 20.5 per cent share of the domestic market thanks to two children's films and one thriller

After taking a 20.5 per cent slice of the domestic market in February 2003 (compared to just 2.3 per cent in 2002) and average monthly attendance at 353,644, Norwegian films continue to make significant inroads with local audiences who avoided them all through 2002.
Record admissions in February were achieved thanks to three films: two children’s titles produced by Nordisk Film & TV: The Olsen Gang Jr Under Water by Arne Lindtner Næss and Wolf Summer by Peder Nordlund, and Pål Øie’s directorial feature debut, a thriller entitled Wilderness. All three films were still in the local Top 10 last weekend with The Olsen Gang... scoring 315,928 admissions in its 8th week out, Wolf Summer 128,718 in 5 and Wilderness, 107,021 in six. The latter performed really well last weekend, beating US favourites like The Hours, Catch Me If You Can and Chicago to take 2nd position in the Top 10, preceded only by the new-entry Swedish hit, Kopps.
In 2002, most Norwegian films struggled to attract 20,000 apiece, and their share of the domestic market fell from 15 per cent in 2001 (the year of Elling [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Cool & Crazy) to 6.9 per cent.
The record attendance reported for the first two months of this year is an excellent portent for the rest of the year during which some 22 Norwegian films will be released, compared with 10 in 2002 and 7 in 2001.