Maximum success for Max Manus
by Annika Pham
The biggest Norwegian film in 20 years, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg's WW2 resistance film Max Manus [+see also:
trailer
film profile], co-produced with Germany and Denmark, hit the jackpot during the Christmas period and is well on its way to becoming the most successful domestic film ever.
Launched on December 19 on 100 screens through Nordisk Film Distribution, the film sold 130,000 admissions in three days, making it the best opening ever for a Norwegian film at home. By the end of 2008, it quickly took fourth position in the Norwegian 2008 top ten, with 403,159 admissions, behind Mamma Mia! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (1.1m admissions), Quantum of Solace [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (473,049) and The Dark Knight (410,969).
The film also overthrew the biggest Norwegian title of most of last year, Nils Gaup’s The Kautokeino Rebellion [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which had been the top local film since early 2008. Now in its third week, Max Manus has been seen by over 560,000 Norwegians and is ruling the top ten of 2009.
“The opening of Max Manus is sensational and is so far keeping its pace in 2009,” said Nina Refseth, head of the Norwegian Film Institute.
Max Manus was produced by Filmkameratene in Norway, in co-production with B & T Film (Germany) and Miso Film (Denmark), with support from the Norwegian and Danish Film Institutes, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Eurimages. Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian rights.
Another Norwegian WW2 movie, albeit of a totally different tone and genre, the Nazi zombie comedy Dead Snow [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is hitting Norwegian screens today through Euforia Film. Director Tommy Wirkola is very popular with youth audiences, who came en masse to see his directorial debut Kill Buljo: The Movie in 2007 (90,000 admissions and 95,000 DVDs sold). Dead Snow will screen in Sundance in the section Park City at Midnight.
Other European films coming out today include Thomas Vinterberg’s A Man Comes Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Tour de Force Distribution) and the Dardenne brothers’ Lorna's Silence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne
interview: Olivier Bronckart
film profile] (Arthouse).
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