Nordic Box Office Slumps, But Local Hits Save the Day

by

2024 saw a decrease in attendance across all five markets, ranging from a 3% dip in Denmark to a more significant drop of nearly 13% in Norway. The decline was attributed to lingering COVID-19 impacts and Hollywood strikes that limited U.S. blockbusters, although the robust showing of local films helped soften the blow in certain regions.

In Finland, homegrown productions claimed an impressive 31.6% of the market, with the romantic Finnish saga “Stormskerry Maja” taking the top spot. Meanwhile, in Sweden, the heartfelt documentary “The Last Journey,” featuring TV personalities Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson (also known as Filip & Fredrik), was a hit. This emotional journey to France, where they aimed to revitalize the spirit of Filip’s elderly father, significantly boosted Sweden’s 22% market share and ticket sales for the past seven years. The Swedish entry for the Oscars played a significant role in this success.

In Iceland, it was Baltasar Kormákur, a filmmaker with Hollywood and Icelandic background, who produced the nation’s biggest success: “Touch”, a heartfelt tale of love and nostalgia for the past, that even made it to the list of Oscar nominees for best foreign film.

Despite typically excelling among the Nordic countries, Denmark experienced a setback, particularly in its homegrown productions. This decline was partly attributable to a decade-low number of national premieres. Meanwhile, Norway faced similar challenges as it struggled with a scarcity of local blockbusters, resulting in its weakest year since the pandemic began.

Besides Finland and Iceland, Disney’s “Inside Out 2” dominated the Nordic charts.

Throughout the area, viewers opted for familiar movie choices, such as sequels, remakes, or adaptations based on established intellectual properties, or they explored existing universes.

DENMARK

Based on initial data from the Danish Film Distributors Association (FAFID) and the Danish Film Institute, the nation experienced its poorest box office results in over three decades, earning approximately DKK 964.9 million ($135.5 million) from the sale of 9.8 million tickets. Despite a 3% decrease in ticket sales year-on-year, admissions remained relatively steady.

According to Martin Kofoed Hansen, an analyst consultant at DFI, the pandemic, streaming competitions, and Hollywood strikes were likely reasons behind the lower box office revenues in cinemas. Hansen emphasized a significant decrease in first-run movies (from 18 to 209) and a particularly low number of Danish titles this year (only 22), which is significantly below the typical annual production of 31 films.

In 2024, the 22 recently released Danish movies generated a total of DKK 208.4 million ($29.3 million) from ticket sales of 2.3 million, which is an 8% decrease compared to the previous year in terms of admissions and a 37% drop compared to pre-COVID averages. The domestic market share, typically one of Europe’s highest (above 28%), fell to 23% in 2024, down from 25% in 2023. Despite this decrease, the Danish Film Institute reported that local films still had significantly better sales than the overall number of movies available.

In the Top 10 list, we find three Danish movies: “When in Rome,” a mature romance with Rolf Lassgård and Bodil Jørgensen; “Boundless,” a crime thriller adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s successful “Department Q” book series; and “Kingmaker,” a political thriller that is a sequel to the 2004 hit “King’s Game,” also based on a popular book series by Niels Krause-Kjær.

In the year 2023, U.S. titles controlled a market share of 63%, but this figure decreased to 58% with approximately 5.9 million ticket sales. Hollywood ruled the box office, occupying the top four spots, and “Inside Out 2”, produced by Disney, was the biggest hit among them.

Only one film in the Top 10 (“When in Rome”) was based on an original story.

By 2025, Hansen was optimistic that the drop in attendance would be turned around, thanks to an array of crowd-pleasers hailing from both the U.S. and Denmark. These include the Danish Academy Awards contender “The Girl with the Needle”, the next installment of the popular animation series “Checkered Ninja 3”, and “Back to Reality”, starring Mads Mikkelsen, directed by Anders Thomas Jensen from “Riders of Justice”. This Zentropa production is scheduled to debut in Denmark this fall.

Top 10 Films in Denmark, 2024

Based on Cinema Admissions (Title, Distributor, Number of Admissions, Box Office, Release Date)
Data sourced from the Danish Film Institute and FAFID – Gross Box Office – DKK1 equals approximately $0.14 as of January 2025.

  1. “Inside Out 2,” Walt Disney, 583,000, DKK 60.2 million ($8.5 million), June 6
  2. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Disney, 423,000, DKK 51.4 million ($7.2 million), July 24
  3. “Despicable Me 4,” UIP, 361,000, DKK 36.5 million ($5.1 million), July 4
  4. “Dune: Part 2,” Warner Bros, 350,000, DKK 48.9 million ($6.8 million), Feb. 28
  5. “When in Rome,” Scanbox, 326,000, DKK 24.7 million ($3.5 million), Feb. 22
  6. “Kung Fu Panda,” UIP, 325,000, DKK 32.6 million ($4.6 million), March 7
  7. “Moana 2,” Walt Disney, 317,000, DKK 31.9 million ($4.5 million), Nov. 28
  8. Boundless,” Nordisk Film, 311,000, DKK 35 million ($4.9 million), Feb. 1
  9. “Kingmaker,” SF Studios, 302,000, DKK 23.2 million ($3.3 million), Aug. 22
    10.”Gladiator 2,” UIP, 262,000, DKK 34.6 million ($4.9 million), Nov.

FINLAND

2024 movie theater attendance was yet to reach pre-pandemic numbers, recording approximately 6.7 million admissions and generating €89.5 million ($94 million) in ticket sales. This represented a 5.5% decrease compared to 2023 and a more substantial 20.7% fall below the average of 2015-19. These findings were provided by the Finnish Film Foundation, who noted that the success of domestic films played a significant role in slowing down this decline. In fact, Petri Peltonen, the head of statistics at the Foundation, emphasized the remarkable performance of homegrown films throughout the country.

He pointed out that for the very first time, each region’s most popular film was homegrown or locally produced.

In 2023, “Barbie” dominated the Finnish box office and set a new sales record since 2014 (7.2 million), and in 2024, it was the inspiring story of resilience from a Finnish woman named Maja in the period film “Stormskerry Maja” that took the top spot, selling nearly 470,000 tickets. Tiina Lymi’s epic movie adaptation of Anni Blomqvist’s best-selling novels achieved a remarkable feat by setting a new record for local films over the past decade.

Apart from “Stormskerry Maja” outperforming Disney’s “Inside Out 2”, five other homegrown films entered the Top 10 chart: the comedies “Luottomies-elokuva: All in” by Kari Ketonen and “Kyllä isä osaa –elokuva” by Panu Raipia; the family film “Hayflower, Quiltshoe and the Chicken” by Reetta Aalto; and “Long Good Thursday” by Mika Kaurismäki, which marks the fourth instalment in the popular comedy film series based on Tuomas Kyrö’s novels about the “Grumpy” older farmer.

In October, the globally acclaimed and much-loved animated film “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights” surpassed the milestone of 100,000 tickets sold.

In 2024, Finnish films reached their highest success since 2017, selling over 2.1 million tickets from 48 new releases (15 of which were documentaries). Compared to 2023, this represented a significant increase of 27.7%. Although it was still slightly below the average of 2015-19 by 1.3%, Finnish films secured a record 31.6% share of the market. This marked a substantial jump from the 23.4% market share in 2023. Box office revenues also reached a high of €27.37 million ($28.7 million) in 2024, showing an upward trend of 35.8% compared to 2023 and 21.1% when compared to the average of 2015-19.

In 2024, it appeared that moviegoers were more attracted to traditional hometown narratives and reminiscent feelings, a trend that might persist into 2025, according to the Finnish Film Foundation’s head of distribution, Ilmari Arnkil.

In the wake of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, there was a significant decline in market share for new movie premieres in the U.S., dropping from 66.8% in 2023 to 53.7%. Among the top-performing films of the year were “Inside Out 2,” the sequel “Despicable Me 4,” “Dune: Part 2,” the action-packed duo “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and the romantic drama “It Ends with Us.

Top 10 Films in Finland, 2024

Rankings are determined by admission numbers (title, distribution company, number of admissions, box office earnings, release date), and these figures have been sourced from the Finnish Film Foundation. It’s important to note that for the sake of this data, €1 is equivalent to approximately $1.05 as of January 2025.

  1. “Stormskerry Maja,” Nordisk Film, 469,334, €6.3 million ($6.6 million), Jan. 19
  2. “Inside Out 2,” Walt Disney, 381,212, €4,9 million ($5.2 million), July 17
  3. “Luottomies-elokuva: All In,” Finnkino, 324,485, €4.4 million ($4.6 million), Feb. 16
  4. “Despicable Me 4,” Finnkino, 287,602, €3.7 million ($3.9 million), June 28
  5. “Dune Part 2, Warner Bros, 257,998, €4 million ($4.3 million), Feb 28
  6. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Walt Disney, 256,131, €3.8 million ($4 million), July 24
  7. “Kyllä isä osaa – elokuva,” 233,051, Finnkino, €2.8 million ($3 million), March 28
  8. “Hayflower, Quiltshoe & the Chicken,” SF, 181,955, €2.1 million ($2.2 million), Jan. 9.
  9. “Long Good Thursday,” Nordisk Film, 176,171, €2.2 million ($2.3 million), Sept. 6
  10. “It Ends with Us,” SF, 175,173, €2.5 million ($2.6 million), Aug. 7

ICELAND

Despite the fact that over 80% of the global movie market is typically controlled by U.S. productions, the scarcity of Hollywood releases last year had a significant impact on Iceland’s theatrical market. The box office fell by 5.8%, amounting to ISK 1.6 billion ($11.4 million), and admissions dropped by 9.8% to 904,809. In comparison, pre-pandemic ticket sales usually exceeded 1.2 million. As Daníel Traustason from the rights holders’ association FRISK pointed out, “Cinema attendance in Iceland returned to levels similar to those during our pandemic days, with many classic films being screened again on the big screen.

In 2021, Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s romantic film “Touch” was the most successful movie of the year, earning over ISK 100 million ($ 717,388) at the box office from ticket sales of 44,881. Previously, his films “The Oath” and “Everest” were top earners in Iceland in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

As a devoted cinephile, I’m thrilled to share that “Odd Fish” by Snævar Sölvi Sölvason, a heartwarming tale about two lifelong friends, has made its way onto the charts at number 10! This movie takes an uplifting journey as their bond is strained when one of them reveals her identity as a transgender woman. With a whopping ISK 38.5 million earnings from 17,260 ticket sales, it’s safe to say this film has resonated with audiences!

Despite the same number (8) of new releases this year, Icelandic films experienced a significant drop: a 30% decline in ticket sales to 102,451 and a 24% decrease in gross box office revenue to approximately ISK 217 million. The local film market share dropped from 14% last year to 11%, while U.S. movies maintained their dominant 80% market share as they have for the past two years.

This year, the top three American films were “Walt Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Inside Out 2” from Pixar, and Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part 2.”

The most popular U.S. movies of the year were “Deadpool & Wolverine” by Walt Disney, “Inside Out 2”, and “Dune: Part 2” from Warner Bros.

Or:
Among the biggest hits in the United States this year are “Walt Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine,” the sequel to “Inside Out,” titled “Inside Out 2”, and “Dune: Part 2,” produced by Warner Bros.

According to Traustason’s analysis, approximately six out of every ten top-grossing films were either sequels or adaptations of previously known intellectual properties.

Top 10 Films in Iceland, 2024

Ranking Movies by Box Office Performance (Movie Title, Distribution Company, Box Office Revenue, Number of Admissions, Release Date)
As of January 2025, Gross Box Office Earnings for ISK1 is $0.01 (Source: FRISK)

  1. “Touch,” Max Dreifing, ISK 100.6 million ($717,388), 44,881, May 29
  2. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Samfilm, ISK 97 million ($696,117), 50,062, July 24
  3. “Inside Out 2,” Samfilm, ISK 85.8 million ($615,806), 55,314, June 13
  4. “Dune: Part 2,” Samfilm, ISK 75.3 million ($540,113), 38,782, March 1
  5. “Despicable Me 4,” Myndform, ISK 73.2 million ($525,286), 49,325, July 3
  6. “It Ends with Us,” Max Dreifing, ISK 53.1 million ($381,098), 29,330, Aug. 7
  7. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” Myndform, ISK 52.7 million ($378,092), 34,747, March 8
  8. Moana 2,” Samfilm, ISK 41.6 million ($298,855), 27,374, Nov. 27
  9. “Anyone But You,” Max Dreifing, ISK 40.4 million ($289,767), 22,751, Jan. 5
  10. “Odd Fish,” Max Dreifing, ISK 38.6 million ($276,728), 17,260, Sept. 6

NORWAY

Although there were indications of market improvement in 2022 and 2023, it took a substantial dive in 2024, dropping to 8.1 million admissions, a 12.8% decrease from the previous year (2023), which itself was already 23% lower than pre-pandemic levels (2015-19). Simultaneously, the box office revenue fell by 9.5%, reaching NOK 1.1 billion, equivalent to $99.1 million.

Despite Norwegian films collectively selling over 2 million tickets and generating a box office revenue of approximately $2.2 million (NOK 25 million), they unfortunately were unable to rescue the overall film year.

According to Espen Pedersen, leader of the Film & Kino association, this year has been exceptionally challenging for Norwegian cinemas due to the lowest cinema attendance since the pandemic. He attributed the poor performance to a scarcity of popular U.S. movies and the absence of successful Norwegian films during the initial nine months of the year. However, even with the September release of Erik Poppe’s WW2 drama “Quisling: The Last Days,” neither this film nor other Norwegian films managed to significantly improve the cinematic year for Norwegian cinemas as they did in 2023, according to the cinema expert.

Just two Norwegian productions made it to the Top 10: “Number 24,” a World War II drama directed by John Andreas Andersen, who is known for “The Quake,” and “The Brothers Gruff Go to Splash World,” an animation film from Qvisten Animation. Interestingly, “The Brothers Gruff” premiered in December 2023. Typically, we would see around four or five Norwegian movies on this list, according to Pedersen’s observation.

Following the innovative financing and distribution strategy used for Norwegian films, “Number 24,” a production by the profit-driven Motion Blur (“The Troll”), received partial funding from SF Studios and Netflix. Consequently, its cinematic release was limited to 60 days, despite being the highest-grossing Norwegian film of 2024. Debuting on Netflix on New Year’s Day, it quickly became the most popular non-English language film worldwide in its first week, with over 8.8 million views globally.

During the final two months of 2024, cinemas experienced a significant surge in overall attendance, accounting for a quarter of all ticket sales for that year, as per Pedersen’s analysis. He predicts this positive trend for cinema will continue throughout 2025.

2024 box office sales saw Norwegian films accounting for 24.81% of the total, whereas U.S. titles claimed a significant 67%, responsible for eight out of the top ten highest-grossing movies of the year, including “Inside Out 2”, “Despicable Me”, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Dune: Part 2”, and “Moana 2”.

or

Norwegian films earned 24.81% of all box office revenue in the year 2024, with U.S. productions taking 67%, responsible for eight out of the top ten highest-grossing movies of that year, including “Inside Out 2”, “Despicable Me”, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Dune: Part 2”, and “Moana 2”.

or

In 2024, Norwegian films represented 24.81% of total box office earnings, while U.S. movies made up 67%, accounting for eight out of the top ten highest-grossing films that year, featuring titles like “Inside Out 2”, “Despicable Me”, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Dune: Part 2”, and “Moana 2”.

Just two out of the Top 10 titles were original stories – “It Ends with Us” by Justin Baldoni, and “Number 24.”

Or simply:

Two original stories made it to the Top 10 list – “It Ends with Us” and “Number 24.

Top 10 Films in Norway, 2024

According to data from January 2025, the film “Source Film” distributed by Kino has earned approximately $0.09 at the box office so far.

Or simply:
The film “Source Film,” distributed by Kino, grossed around $0.09 at the box office in January 2025.

  1. “Inside Out 2,” Walt Disney, 520,906, NOK 69 million ($6.2 million), June 14, 2024
  2. “Despicable Me 4,” UIP, 372,919, NOK 48 million ($4.3 million), July 3, 2024
  3. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Walt Disney, 343,403, NOK 58 million ($5.2 million), July 24, 2024
  4. “Dune: Part 2,” Warner Bros, 342,991, NOK 62 million ($5.5 million), Feb 28, 2024
  5. “Moana 2,” Walt Disney, 301,416, NOK 40 million ($3.6 million), Nov 29, 2024
  6. “Number 24,” SF Norge, 266,886, NOK 38m ($3.4m), Oct. 30, 2024
  7. “It Ends With Us,” SF Norge, 252,096, NOK 38 million ($3.4 million), Aug 9, 2024
  8. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” UIP, 206,398, NOK 25 million ($2.2 million), March 15, 2024
  9. “The Brothers Gruff go to Splash World,” Nordisk Film, 200,424, NOK 23 million ($2.1 million), Dec. 25, 2023
  10. “Gladiator 2,” UIP, 187,701, NOK 33 million ($3,0 million), Nov. 15, 2024

SWEDEN

In the midst of economic turbulence and cinematic chaos sweeping across Europe in 2023 – with Hollywood strikes and post-COVID recovery challenges – one beacon of hope shone brightly from the heart of Sweden: “The Last Journey” (“Den sista resan”). Selected as our nation’s Oscar entry, this captivating documentary defied all odds to become the unforgettable tale of the year. Despite the hurdles faced by the Swedish film industry, this cinematic gem proved that one powerful story can indeed spark a miracle.

In 2024, “The Last Journey,” a documentary co-directed by renowned Swedish comedy stars Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, became a sensation in Sweden, breaking records as the country’s highest-grossing documentary of all time with over 412,425 tickets sold. This comedy duo, known for their production company Nexiko (responsible for the successful Netflix series “Young Royals”), produced this film. “The Last Journey” won both the best documentary and audience awards at Sweden’s prestigious Guldbagge Awards and is now being represented worldwide by Universal Pictures Content Group.

The movie’s achievement stems from its moving and affectionate depiction of a son, Filip Hammar, endeavoring to rekindle ties with his elderly dad during an optimistic and inspiring journey across France.

Due to its extraordinary popularity within Sweden, the movie accounted for approximately 20% of all Swedish film sales in 2024, as per the data from the Swedish Film Institute’s advisor, Torkel Stål.

In an outstanding year for locally produced documentaries, the film “It Could Have Been Us” (“Det kunde varit vi”) stood out, focusing on a grim period in Swedish history – the ordeal faced by individuals with disabilities who were institutionalized throughout the 20th century. Remarkably, this film became a success, selling over 135,521 tickets. Collectively, Swedish documentaries saw nearly 700,000 admissions, setting a new all-time high as stated by Stål.

Due to the success of another domestic hit movie, “Håkan Bråkan 2”, Swedish films experienced a significant boost in attendance, reaching approximately 2.3 million admissions, the highest number since 2018. This is a 21% increase compared to 2023, resulting in a market share of 22%. The SFI’s data specialist commented that these 2024 results demonstrate that cinema-going audiences for Swedish films are as strong as they were before the pandemic.

Approximately 10.4 million admissions are projected based on estimates, which is significantly less than the number prior to COVID-19 by approximately 35%. Compared to the year 2023, this figure represents a decrease of around 7.8%.

Once again, American films dominated the market with over 70% share, accounting for eight out of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year. The leading titles included “Inside Out 2”, “Despicable Me 4”, “Dune Part 2”, and “Deadpool & Wolverine.

Moving forward, I firmly believe that ticket sales in 2025 will surpass 11 million, if not more. Despite the shift in Swedish audience’s attitudes and habits post-pandemic, there remains a widespread appreciation for the theatrical experience. Moreover, the upcoming slate of American films appears significantly stronger compared to 2024 offerings.

He stated: “The outlook for local movies in 2025 seems somewhat unpredictable, given that fewer fiction releases are scheduled compared to usual. However, we can remain optimistic about the ongoing positive trend for Swedish documentaries. There could potentially be more local fiction films added to the release schedule, particularly during fall.

Top 10 Films in Sweden, 2024

(Source Swedish Film Institute, Filmägarnaskontrollbyrå, admission figures)

  1. “Inside Out 2,” Walt Disney, 611,558, July 17
  2. “Despicable Me 4,” UIP, 583,931, July 3
  3. “Dune Part 2,” Warner Bros, 416,831, Feb. 28
  4. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Walt Disney, 448,596, July 4
  5. “The Last Journey,” Nordisk Film, 412,425, March 1
  6. “Moana 2,” Walt Disney, 356,577, No. 29
  7. “It Ends with Us,” SF/Sony, 297,226, March 22
  8. “Gladiator 2,” UIP, 288,362, Nov. 14
  9. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” UIP/Universal, 250,874, Aug. 7
  10. “Håkan Bråkan 2,” Nordisk Film, 247,500, Feb. 9

Read More

2025-02-01 17:52