Norway sees 2011 boost in admissions and best results for local films in 36 years

According to a report from the Norwegian Film Institute, in 2011 Norwegian cinema attendance rose 5.7% on 2010.

With a year attendance of 11,650,000, Norwegian cinemas delivered the largest growth of the theatrical market in Europe, according to statistics from Norwegian cinema association, Film & Kino.

For the fourth year local fare exceeded 2.5 million admissions, to close at 2,855,000 to control a record 24.5% of the market – the highest percentage since 1975.

”The increase is partly due to the strong performance of local films – a record of 40 releases in 2011,” explained Film & Kino head of communications Birgitte Langballe. “And partly the digitisation of the cinemas, which allows small and medium-sized screens to improve their repertoire and programme more titles.”

”Some of the domestic productions have been regional productions with limited distribution, but eight titles have reached audiences of 100,000 or more, accounting for 66% of local box office. The Norwegian front runner is Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters (Hodejegerne) [the second most-successful film of the year behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2] .”

In 2011 Norway was the first country in the world to convert all of its cinemas to digital.

Three Norwegian films made the territory’s top ten at the box office, while the strong crop of Nowegian films included André Øvredal’s well-sold The Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren), which was selected for more than 45 international film festivals. Other festival favourites from the territory included Marius Holst’s King of Devil’s Island (Kongen av Bastøy), Anne Sewitsky’s Happy, Happy (Sykt lykkelig) Arild Andresen’s The Liverpool Goalie (Keeper’n til Liverpool), Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st and Jens Lien’s Sons of Norway.

Upcoming Norwegian titles with local and international appeal include Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg’s Kon-Tiki and Sara Johnsen’s All That Matters is Past (Det viktigste er forbi).