18/01/2008

Last weekend’s Nordic top ten was phenomenal for Finland, which registered a 70% market share from five local films, all catering to different audiences. Elsewhere, Arn: The Knight Templar [+see also:
trailer
film profile] was number two in Sweden and Denmark and the Norwegian chiller Backwoods (Rovdyr) by first-timer Patrik Syversen was the second most popular film at home.

Finnish films have been on a roll since last month that it not likely to stop soon. Lauri Nurkse’s romantic comedy Playing Solo [+see also:
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film profile] was number one with a total 92,794 admissions from 42 screens for Nordisk.

Dome Karukoski (Beauty and the Bastard [+see also:
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film profile]) opened in second position with his quality drama The Home of Dark Butterflies, based on Leena Lander’s best-selling novel and adapted for the screen by box office habitué Marko Leino. The film about a boy who ends up in an institution on an island stars Tommi Korpela (A Man’s Job [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) as the ruthless superintendent of the boys home. The Solar Films production sold 18,173 tickets from 41 screens for Nordisk who also handles world sales.

At number three was Pekka Lehtosaari´s animated feature Quest for a Heart (100,000 admissions from 67 prints). Åke Lindman and Sakari Kirjavainen’s war film Tali-Ihantala 1944 came in fourth (150,000 admissions from 55 screens, Walt Disney Studios) and the historical film The Border by Lauri Törhönen was number 10 (65,000 admissions for FS Film). Spanish title The Orphanage [+see also:
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film profile] by Juan Antonio Bayona released by Cinema Mondo was number eight.

In Sweden, Arn has picked up 780,000 admissions for SF so far. Two UK films were also in the top ten: Control [+see also:
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film profile] (Atlantic Film release) and  [+see also:
trailer
film profile]Atonement (Universal). The seven new titles opening on January 18 include two French films: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (SF Film) and Molière [+see also:
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film profile] (Atlantic Film).

In Norway, Backwoods opened second in the top ten, selling over 28,000 tickets from 60 screens for Euforia. Arn was fifth (126,046 admissions for SF) and O’Horten [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by the talented Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories) gave Scanbox an 11th place slot.

One of Norway’s biggest exports, Nils Gaup, will bring more action to the local box office this weekend with his Kautokeino Rebellion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], opening through Sandrew Metronome (48 screens). Fidalgo Film will try to reiterate their success on The Boss of it All [+see also:
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film profile] with the Lars von Trier-scripted Erik Nietzsche: Part 1 opening as well.

In Denmark, Arn opened in second place for SF. Two Danish films were in the top ten: the animated Amazon Jack 3: Jungo Goes Bananas was number seven with 84,795 admissions for Nordisk, and at number ten was Natasha Arthy's Fighter (45,850 admissions, Sandrew Metronome).

In Iceland, Ari Kristinsson's family film No Network came in at number 11 for Sena, from two cinemas and almost 6,000 admissions. The distributor is releasing Baltasar Kormákur’s new film White Night Wedding today on seven screens (see news).