The Lapland War draws rare cinema-goers and breaks records

The Lapland War has drawn 123,000 viewers in its first week, including many people who rarely go to the cinema, and cinemas in the region expect its success to continue, Yle reports.

The film, shot in Lapland, has performed strongly throughout its opening week, said Katarina Nyman, production director at Nordisk Film. Audience feedback has also been excellent, she said.

At Biorex Tornio, the film set records for both opening weekend and opening week during the cinema’s 10-year history. A total of 2,734 people saw it in its first week. Seven screenings were held on the premiere day, October 23, and most sold out. The cinema has added weekday afternoon screenings to meet demand.

The film has also broken records at Biorex Rovaniemi, where 3,063 people had seen it after its first week, including 1,971 over the opening weekend. Cinema manager Juho Lotvonen said he had not expected it to outperform the 2017 film The Unknown Soldier. There have been as many as seven screenings a day in Rovaniemi this week.

Afternoon and early-evening screenings have been especially popular in Rovaniemi, while later shows have had more seats available. Lotvonen said the pattern suggested strong attendance among retirees.

At Kinopirtti in Kemi, about 1,400 people saw the film in its first week. The cinema has held up to four screenings a day and added private showings for groups. Its managers also said the film had brought in people who rarely visit cinemas.

About 200 people have seen the film at Lapinsuu, a cinema in Sodankylä. It is due to be shown there on Friday and Saturday.

Cinema managers expect the film to remain popular. Ari Vuolukka of Biorex Tornio compared its run with The Unknown Soldier, which continued to screen into January and February. He said he hoped the film would encourage people to return to cinemas for other films.