Danish films had another great year at the cinema in 2007. Danish Films sold roughly 3.2 million tickets in 2007, for a domestic market share of around 27%, an increase over last year, when the Danish market share ended at 25%. Denmark once again finds itself in the European super league.
Denmark continues to stand tall in competition with Hollywood. While American movies sold an average of around 64,000 tickets in 2007, Danish films sold around 124,000 on the average.
A wide rangeJudging from the five bestselling Danish films in 2007, the films range widely. The broadly appealing "Anja & Viktor – Flaming Love" tops the list, selling 346,845 tickets, while coming in fifth is "The Art of Crying", which won a mantelpiece full of international awards and nominations and was seen by an impressive 228,303 Danish cinemagoers. In between the two, we find Erik Clausen's "Temporary Release" (309,193 tickets), Martin Schmidt’s "The Gold of Valhalla" (258,298 tickets) and Ole Bornedal’s "Just Another Love Story" (235,801 tickets).
"Just Another Love Story" is interesting not least because it, along with the teen film "The Substitute" (180,275 tickets), marks Bornedal’s comeback in Danish cinema. Both films are among the 10 bestselling Danish films in 2007. And "The Art of Crying", with its cast of unknown actors clustered around Jesper Asholt, has harvested no less than 19 international festival awards.
Strong showing of children's and family filmsChildren’s and family films made another strong showing in 2007. Seven such films make the top 15 of Danish films and show great variation as well – from the special effects extravaganza "Island of Lost Souls" (194,419 tickets) and the jazzy "A Tale of Two Mozzies" (selected for Berlin 2008), which sold 117,252 tickets, to the chills and thrills of "The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar II" (204,236 tickets) directed by Giacomo Campeotto, and the top seller from 2006, "Father of Four – Living Large" directed by Claus Bjerre, which opened 25 December 2006 and sold a whopping 334,013 tickets into 2007.
The Danish cinema market overall is down an ever so slight 3,5% from 2006 to 12.1 million tickets, likely due to the lack of monster blockbusters such as 2006's James Bond movie.
All in all, things are looking good, even as the 2007 cinema year as so often before saw great fluctuations. For the second year running, the summer season showed a strong market advance with ticket sales of 2,659,724 in weeks 23-33. The foul summer weather is likely the biggest reason for that, but several American blockbusters and a host of good Danish titles also opened in the period.
High expectations for 2008Already, 2008 is looking to be another strong year for Danish cinema. Expectations are high for the first half of 2008, which will see the release of Ole Christian Madsen’s occupation-era drama Flame & Citron, starring Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen, and Niels Arden Oplev’s Worlds Apart (selected for Berlin 2008).
Moreover, Pernille Fisher Christensen, who won two years ago in Berlin with A Soap, will be bringing out her new film, Dancers, starring Trine Dyrholm. Opening in June is What No One Knows (also a Berlin 2008 participant), a political thriller directed by Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and starring Anders W. Berthelsen.Top 20 of all releases in Danish cinemas 2007:
Source: Statistics Denmark & Danish Film Institute as per 30. dec. 2007For further information:Current admission figuresNational films in Danish cinemas Danish Film InstituteAnnemarie Hoersman, +45 3374 3438, annemarieh@dfi.dk