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DISTRIBUTION Finland

Schibsted sells Sandrew Metronome Finland

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Norway’s largest media concern, Schibsted, has sold Sandrew Metronome Finland to local distributor Future Film, to fully dismantle its interest in cinema which it announced in 2010 ”was not part of the group’s core activities”. The company was last year the country’s leading distributor, controlling 27.6% of total admissions.

”Sandrew Metronome Finland has been a strong distributor of both domestic and international films. The purchase of the company makes Future Film even more influential, especially when it comes to local titles,” said Future’s Head of Theatrical Distribution Harry Päiväläinen, in a statement.

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Last year, Sandrew Metronome Finland launched five of the ten top films on the Finnish charts, including local entries, Dome Karukoski’s Lapland Odyssey [+see also:
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(No 1: 335,000 admissions), and Mari Rantasila’s Ricky Rapper and the Bicycle Thief (No 2: 328,000 admissions). Among upcoming releases are Ulrika BengtsIris, Petri Kotwica’s Rat King and Antti Haikala’s The Magic Crystal.

Since spring of 2010, Schibsted has phased out its pan-Scandinavian distribution operation, which was started in the 1920s by Sweden’s Anders Sandrew and was also previously active in production and exhibition. In January, the back catalogue of the Danish arm – which will close this year – was sold to Nordisk Film.

In March, Sandrew Metronome Sweden ended theatrical distribution and the company was folded. The same month, Sandrew Metronome Norway was traded to Oslo Municipal Cinemas, Norway’s largest cinema circuit, and renamed Norsk Filmdistribusjon. At the same time, Schibsted cancelled its output deal with Warner Bros. for the Nordic countries.

Headquartered in Vantaa with offices in Helsinki, Future Film was set up in the early 1980s as a home-video distribution company, specialising in animation. Since 1995, it has also worked with theatrical and television distribution and is today considered Finland’s leading art house supplier.

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