The supernatural youth fantasy film based on Sara B. Elfgren and Mats Strandberg’s ‘Engelsfors’ trilogy just started filming last Friday. Levan Akin (Real Humans) is directing for ABBA co-founder Benny Andersson, his son Ludvig Andersson and Cecilia Norman Mardell (RMV Film). We took the opportunity of this new distribution deal for Walt Disney Studios Nordic to speak to the company’s Senior VP Eric Broberg (pictured) about his strategy in the Nordic region.
What is Walt Disney Studios’ strategy for domestic films in the Nordic region?
Eric Broberg: The focus for us is of course on our great Studio line up. Nordic films are an excellent complement to that slate, but we remain very selective and do not take on board more than one or two Nordic titles per year in each Nordic market.
How do your local branches operate? Do they take decisions on a local level or is your Nordic office in Stockholm centralising the distribution/marketing decisions?
EB: For each market, we use the expertise from our senior management. I have worked more than 20 years with Inger Wahrendorph in Norway and Jussi Makela in Finland, and over eight years with Mads Nedergaard in Denmark. They are responsible for identifying the local films and have to truly believe in those projects. Then our central office in Stockholm takes the final decision. I also supervise the Swedish releases. All marketing, PR work and distribution are executed locally.
Are family films a priority for your Nordic pick-ups?
EB: Not necessarily. We have released in Sweden two Hamilton films and have currently on screens The 100 Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared, all based on best-selling novels. Well-known IP material is very attractive to us, but we also consider films that have a great cast or original story, directed by top Nordic directors such as Ulf Malmros that we have in our line up. Since we’re not producing, for us it’s more a question of finding the right producer that will deliver the best film. Again, we’re not involved in many titles, but in the few films that we hope will make a difference at the box office.
What output deals or first look deals do you have with Nordic producers?
EB: We tend to have first look deals with selected producers that we have long time relationships with. We work on a film by film basis for instance with Bob Film, NICE Drama/FLX in Sweden and M&M Production in Denmark. We have just announced a new project together with RMV Films that will produce The Circle based on the Swedish bestselling novel to be released theatrically early next year.
NICEFLX Pictures’ The 100 Year-old Man...has sold over 2 million tickets in the Nordic region including over 1.5 million in Sweden. Are you surprised by the fact that the film has crossed over in the Nordic region?
EB: We had high expectations and came on board quite early, in late 2010. We liked the book and the adaptation that NICEFLX wanted to make. We did test-screenings and the film received a very high playability rating, so we immediately saw the film’s potential. We will most probably continue to work with NICEFLX.
Talking about playability and test-screenings, do you market Nordic films differently than US films?
EB: It’s the same mechanics and the audience is the same, but with Nordic titles, we can start working at an earlier stage on the positioning of the film, which is important of course.
What Nordic films can we look forward to seeing under the Disney/Buena Vista International banner in the Nordic region this year?
EB: Besides The 100 year-old Man…, we have Ricky Rapper and Slick Leonard doing well in Finland. In September we will have the Norwegian live action family film Captain Sabertooth and the Lama Rama Treasure on Norwegian screens and in Sweden Ulf Malmros’s new comedy-drama My So-Called Father starring Michael Nyqvist will be released in the autumn.
Are revenues from DVD/Blu-ray still very important for you thanks to the unique strength of the Disney brand, in other words how do ancillary markets help your bottom line?
EB: DVD/Blu-Ray is still important for us. Our local films are not Disney branded but labelled Buena Vista International to consumers. But in terms of B2B marketing and sales being a local arm of Disney Studios or Disney Home Entertainment is of course a great benefit and it helps drive the business. In terms of bottom line, I don’t want to go into any detail the DVD/Blu-ray do represent substantial revenues.
Finally as the film value chain-and the way people are watching films- is changing dramatically, how is Walt Disney Studios adapting to this market shift and do you believe the current status quo in the industry should be loosened ?
EB: I’d rather not speculate on how the market will develop, however Disney Studios Nordic is very well adapted for any development that may come. Still, the cinema experience is far from losing its audience appeal. Just look at The 100 Year old Man. The film has been watched by over 1.5 million Swedes who laughed together and were comfortable leaving their home. This says everything.