The Norwegian film Kon-Tiki drew record crowds at the cinema in Norway and was nominated for an Academy Award but has failed to attract fans or much in ticket sales after it finally opened in US cinemas.
Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported that the film only brought in USD 22,168 on its opening weekend, and as of last week, it had only generated revenues of USD 1.5 million after five months. That compared to around USD 13 million in Norway alone, where it was seen by nearly 900,000 in a country of just 5 million. The film has been shown in a total of 75 cinemas nationwide in the US.
“I don’t really know what happened,” producer Aage Aaberge told DN. The Weinstein Co bought the rights to the film and managed its launch in the US, but delayed its debut until after the Academy Awards show. Aaberge said plans for a much bigger ad campaign for the film were also changed.
The latest project for the two directors of Kon-Tiki, meanwhile, has been postponed. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg were hired to direct the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film but it’s on ice because of reported problems with its script and heavy costs for Disney studios.
newsinenglish.no staff