Two comedies about older men struggling with change and ageing - Finland’s The Grump and Iceland’s The Grandad, are the number one cinema choices for local audiences while at the other side of the spectrum two family entertainment movies based on well-known franchises are top of the charts in Norway and Sweden: respectively Captain Sabertooth and the Treasure Lama and The Boy with the Golden Pants.

In Finland Dome Karukoski’s comedy drama The Grump produced by Solar Films continues to dominate the domestic chart after four weeks on screens. The film proves to have long legs on the market, as it dropped only 15% from the previous weekend. Total admissions so far are nearing 200,000. Also in the Finnish Top Ten is the female-oriented comedy Summertime that has sold 125,441 tickets in nine weeks. 

In Iceland the established theatre writer/director Bjarni Haukur Thórsson made a successful leap into feature filmmaking with Grandad (Afinn), an adaptation of his own play that opened last weekend at number one for Samfilm. The film sold over 3,000 tickets from nine screens.

Paris of the North which screened in competition in Karlovy Vary is also holding well after four weeks, playing at number 8 for Sena (almost 10,000 admissions) while this year’s top grosser and Oscar entry Life in a Fishbowl has now sold 47,328 tickets. The film is still playing at number 11 for Sena after 20 weeks.

In Norway the ambitious NOK 50 million (around €6.1m) family adventure film Captain Sabertooth and the Treasure Lama produced by Storm Films and Hummelfilm had the best opening of the year with 98,706 admissions for Walt Disney Nordic according to Film & Kino. The film beat the previous record opener of 2014 Doctor Proctor and the Fart Powder (92,838 admissions), current number one in Norway. The infamous Captain Sabertooth was created by author/singer /actor Terje Formoe who first brought his character to Norwegian audiences as a musical. Today the fearful Captain is one of Norway’s most successful kid franchises.

Other Norwegian films are doing very well at home. The car chasing movie Børning (SF Norge) has sold 347,498 tickets after seven weeks and was number five last weekend. The film produced by Filmkameratene is now the second biggest hit of the year.

Bent Hamer’s 1001 Grams opened at number 7 for Norsk Filmdistribusjon, selling 6,573 tickets from 60 screens.

In Sweden the screen adaptation of Max Lundgren’s best-selling novel The Boy with the Golden Pants, directed by Ella Lemhagen sold 32,945 for its first weekend, making it the third best Swedish opening of the year after Bamse the City of Thieves and Medicine. The story of a boy whose life changes when he finds a pair of pants containing an unlimited amount of money, was produced by Fredrik Wikström Nicastro for Tre Vänner. Nordisk Film is handling the release.

The dramedy My So-Called Father starring Mikael Nyqvist took the fifth place in its second weekend on release via Walt Disney Nordic. The film about a daughter who helps her estranged father who’s lost his memory was produced by Bob Film. Total admissions for the film are 45,455.

Colin Nutley’s Medicine (SF Film) played last weekend at number nine. So far 164,652 Swedes have seen the comedy starring Helena Bergström.

The documentary A Thousand Pieces directed by Magnus Gertten and Stefan Berg is holding well on 76 screens, playing at number 10 for TriArt. The film about the beloved Swedish singer/songwriter Björn Afzelius has sold 61,246 tickets so far.

In Denmark Niels Arden Oplev’s Speed Walking/Kapgang was number four last weekend after five weeks on screens. The drama playing on 70 screens for Nordisk Film has sold 213,725 tickets so far, making it the third biggest Danish film of the year after the comedy The Reunion 2-The Funeral (604,364 admissions) and the new kids franchise Father of Four (286,444).

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ources: FAFID, SMAIS, Filmikamari, Norske Filmbyråers Forening, Film & Kino, Filmweb, Filmägarnas Kontrollbyrå.