Lapland War sets 2020s domestic film opening record

The film Lapland War drew more than 80,000 people to cinemas during previews and its opening weekend, Yle reports. It had 75,833 admissions over the weekend alone.

The film, directed by Aku Louhimies, was shown in 157 cinemas. Its Friday-to-Sunday opening was the best for a Finnish film in the 2020s, according to a statement from Nordisk Film, the film’s marketing and distribution company.

Louhimies said he was grateful and pleased that audiences had trusted the film. He added that it was especially good to see Finns going to cinemas for a story that is part of their history.

Louhimies co-wrote the screenplay with author Antti Tuuri. The film is based on Tuuri’s 2012 book Rauta-antura and centres on 19-year-old private Heikki Ojala, played by Luukas Niskanen.

The film had been expected to attract a large audience before its release. Louhimies’s previous war film, Unknown Soldier, drew more than one million cinema viewers.