The previous record of 2,357,000 was from 2012. This is the fourth time in six years that local films pass the 2 million admission mark. According to the Finnish Film Foundation, the greater variety of films combined with the digitisation of cinemas that allow for a faster and wider theatrical release are some of the factors that explain the current crave from Finnish audiences for local films.
So far 28 Finnish films have opened domestically and eight have passed 100,000 admissions. The biggest grosser is Taneli Mustonen’s comedy The Reunion (pictured - 506,000 admissions) second biggest Finnish since Bad Boys (615,000 in 2003), two titles produced by Solar Films.
Last weekend four Finnish films were in the top 10. The comedy Lapland Odyssey 2 (327,963 total admissions) was number 2 after James Bond’s Spectre, followed by the kids movie Jill & Joy’s Winter (182,020). Antti Jokinen’s historical drama The Midwife was number 8 (216,642) and the spoof horror Bunny the Killer Thing opened at number 10 (1,309 admissions).
The market share for local films has reached 30%, one of the highest in Europe. Another five Finnish films are scheduled to open this year. General admissions at 7.2 million are also at a record high.