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2023 was a year of sustained gains year-on-year across the Nordics, although moviegoing is still down 23%-30% from pre-covid times. The summer was exceptional thanks to the “Barbenheimer” mania that boosted all five Nordic countries. Iceland was the only territory where “Oppenheimer” ranked third, after the local comedy “Wild Game” one of three Icelandic titles that enabled local fare to jump 123% in box office for a 14% market share.

Norway enjoyed a solid year and a 27% market share for domestic fare, led by three blockbusters based on popular IPs, including the top seller “Christmas at Cobble Street.”

In Finland, the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon was perhaps the strongest among the Nordic nations, making July the biggest ever in Finnish cinema history. Also notable was the success of Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves,” the fourth biggest hit of the year, which helped local titles secure a 23.4% share.

Less glorious were results in Denmark where overall...

ABC has split up with Splitting Up Together after two seasons.

The Emily Kapnek-developed sitcom, based on a Danish TV series, stars Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson as a the couple whose relationship comes alive again after they get divorced. With that premise, the duo and their three kids live in the same house with one living upstairs and doing the parenting while the other lives downstairs on alternate weeks.

Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby and Sander Thomas also co-starred in Splitting Up Together.

An eight-episode midseason replacement that debuted March 27 last year, Splitting Up Together was given another season in May last year, with a full order handed out in November. Last year, ABC introduced three sitcoms during the regular season and canceled two, with only the steady Sut making the longer-term cut.

2018-19 Renewals And Cancellations For Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

The second season, which...

“Splitting Up Together” as has been canceled after two seasons at ABC.

The family comedy centered on a couple (played by Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson) who decided to cohabitate after separating. Things got more complicated in the second season when they realized they still had feelings for each other and wanted to give their relationship a second chance, but a new baby from a relationship he had while they were separated was in the mix.

The series, which was created by Emily Kapnek, also starred Bobby Lee, Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby and Sander Thomas. Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen, and Hella Joof also serve as executive producers alongside Kapnek. DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production and Kapnek’s Piece of Pie Productions produce in association with Warner Bros. Television.

The second season was the second lowest rated scripted series for the network, averaging...

Key territories sold for agent M-Appeal.

Hella Joof’s Happy Ending, the Danish comedy described as the ‘Nordic Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, has racked up further territory deals following its local release in Denmark and Norway.

German sales outfit M-Appeal has licensed the film to Palace Films for Australia, Camino Film for Germany and Austria, and Ads Service for Hungary. HBO Europe has bought pay-tv rights for 14 countries in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe.

The film follows a woman who has been waiting for her workaholic husband to retire so they can enjoy the autumn of their lives together travelling the world.

Key territories sold for agent M-Appeal.

Hella Joof’s Happy Ending, the Danish comedy described as the ‘Nordic Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, has racked up further territory deals following its local release in Denmark and Norway.

German sales outfit M-Appeal has licensed the film to Palace Films for Australia, Camino Film for Germany and Austria, and Ads Service for Hungary. HBO Europe has bought pay-tv rights for 14 countries in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe.

The film follows a woman who has been waiting for her workaholic husband to retire so they can enjoy the autumn of their lives together travelling the world.

ABC has given back orders to Tuesday comedy series The Kids Are Alright and Splitting Up Together. With that, the network has picked up additional episodes of all of its fall series that did not have full-season orders.

ABC would not specify the size of the pickups for freshman Kids Are Alright and sophomore Splitting Up Together beyond calling them full-season orders. I hear Kids Are Alright has received a Back 9 order for a traditional 22-episode full season, while Splitting Up Together will produced five additional episodes for a 18-episode second season.

Kids Are Alright, from ABC Studios, has been the stronger ratings performer of the two, as the 1970s blue-collar family comedy, airing at 8:30 Pm, is benefiting from a stronger lead-in from The Conners. Romantic comedy Splitting Up Together, from Warner Bros TV, airs behind Black-ish at 9:30 Pm and regularly ranks as the least=watched ABC series...

ABC has picked up “Splitting Up Together” and “The Kids Are Alright” for full seasons.

Freshman series “The Kids Are Alright” premiered in October in the post-“The Conners” timeslot. From creator and executive producer Tim Doyle, the series is inspired by Doyle’s own childhood. The show stars Michael Cudlitz as Mike Cleary, Mary McCormack as Peggy Cleary, Sam Straley as Lawrence Cleary, Caleb Foote as Eddie Cleary, Sawyer Barth as Frank Cleary, Christopher Paul Richards as Joey Cleary, Jack Gore as Timmy Cleary, Andy Walken as William Cleary, and Santino Barnard as Pat Cleary. Randall Einhorn is also an executive producer. ABC Studios produces.

Sophomore comedy “Splitting Up Together” is from executive producers Ellen DeGeneres, Emily Kapnek, Jeff Kleeman and Dean Holland. The series stars Jenna Fischer as Lena, Oliver Hudson as Martin, Bobby Lee as Arthur, Diane Farr as Maya, Lindsay Price as Camille, Olivia Keville as Mae,...

ABC has given full-season orders to two more of its comedy series, “The Kids Are Alright” and “Splitting up Together.”

“The Kids Are Alright,” from creator and executive producer Tim Doyle, joins ensemble comedy “Single Parents,” the Nathan Fillion-led “The Rookie” and the drama “A Million Little Things” to become the fourth freshman series to get a full pickup from the Disney-owned network.

Led by Jenna Fischer, “Splitting Up Together” is in its second season, but had initially received a more conservative order from the network when it was renewed in May. ABC took a similar approach with the “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff “Station 19.”

Also Read: ABC Gives Nathan Fillion's 'The Rookie' a Full-Season Order

At the other broadcasters, CBS has given full-season orders to “God Friended Me,” “Magnum Pi,” “The Neighborhood” and “FBI,” while Fox has given “The Cool Kids” a back-nine pickup. NBC...

Heroes alumna Ali Larter is set for key recurring role opposite Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson on the second season of ABC comedy series Splitting Up Together, from Warner Bros. TV.

Splitting Up Together stars Fischer and Hudson as Lena and Martin, the couple whose marriage is reinvigorated by their divorce. They still live in the same house, alternating weeks, with one living upstairs and doing the parenting while the other lives downstairs in the guest apartment.

Larter will play no-nonsense Paige, who Martin finds attractive and Lena finds intimidating. Using her own “normal” divorce as a reference, Paige is unafraid to speak her mind, and she makes her feelings known about Lena and Martin’s unconventional arrangement.

Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Bobby Lee, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby and Sander Thomas co-star in the comedy from A Very Good Production and Piece of Pie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Berlin-based M-Appeal will be hitting Toronto with a pair of topical female-driven films premiering at the festival, Ash Mayfair’s “The Third Wife” and Michal Aviad’s “Working Woman.”

Dedicated to promoting new female voices in the festival circuit and around the world, M-Appeal is also repping Hella Joof’s “Happy Ending” and Albertia Carri’s “The Daughters of Fire,” and is continuing sales on Fanny Metlelius’s Swedish coming-of-age romance drama “The Heart.”

“Our experience shows that there are many exciting films out there made by women, telling stories that appeal to a largely female audience eager to see films reflecting their own realities which are not visible enough,” said

Maren Kroymann, managing director of M-Appeal.

Kroymann pointed M-Appeal’s current slate “comprises 5 titles directed by very promising female filmmakers, some of whom are already established but others who are emerging talents.” “The audience is ready for stories told from a female perspective,...

Freshman comedy “Splitting Up Together” has been renewed for another season at ABC.

Based on the Danish series of the same name, the show tells the story of a couple whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. They still live in the same house, alternating weeks, with one living upstairs and doing the parenting while the other lives downstairs in the guest apartment.

It stars Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson, Bobby Lee, Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby, and Sander Thomas. Emily Kapnek serves as writer and executive producer. Dean Holland directed and executive produced the pilot. Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen, and Hella Joof also serve as executive producers. DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production and Kapnek’s Piece of Pie Productions produce in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Fischer announced the news on her Instagram story on Friday.

The show has performed well in its first season,...

ABC has ordered a second season of its new midseason comedy Splitting Up Together starring Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson, from Warner Bros. TV. It is the only freshman ABC comedy to make it to Season 2, with The Mayor and Alex Inc. not expected to return. I hear the order is for 13 episodes.

Single-camera Splitting Up Together premiered March 27 to solid numbers — 2.1 Live+same day in 18-49 — and 7.2 million viewers — thanks in no small part to being the lead-out of the hugely rated debut of the revived Roseanne. Since then Splitting Up Together has settled in with about half those numbers. With help from the goosed up premiere, Splitting Up Together season-to-date average is a 2.1 18-49 in L+7/most recent ratings.

Fischer and Hudson star as Lena and Martin, the couple whose marriage is reinvigorated by their divorce. They still live in the same house, alternating weeks, with one living...

Berlin-based sales agent M-Appeal has boarded Hella Joof’s comedy “Happy Ending,” starring Birthe Neumann and Kurt Ravn. The director is best known for her 2014 film “All Inclusive,” which was a box-office hit in Denmark with more than 410,000 tickets sold.

The film centers on Helle, who is looking forward to her workaholic husband, Peter’s, retirement, so they can spend some time together. But on his last day at work, he says he is going to become a wine importer and commute between Denmark and France.

“The couple drift apart, and both set out to explore new possibilities, problems and dreams,” according to a statement. “But can you start all over again after 50 years of marriage? And will they be able to cope without each other?”

According to producer Mie Andreasen, the story is based on the experience of the parents of screenwriter Mette Heeno, who after 49 years of marriage,...

17 projects selected for festival showcase.

A strong crop of works in progress projects are set to be presented at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market, which runs Feb 1-4.

Source: Maipo Film

Queen Of Ice

The selection includes new films from Benedikt Erlingsson (Of Horses and Men), Michael Noer (R), and Anne Sewitsky (Happy Happy).

Presentations of clips by the directors/producers will be made to the industry attendees in Goteborg.

Erlingsson will present his new film Woman At War, an “arthouse action film” about an Icelandic woman on an environmental mission. Noer will discuss his new Danish period drama A Better Life starring Jesper Christensen as an 1850s farmer. Sewitsky will unveil footage of her Sonja Henie biopic Queen Of Ice.

The 17 projects are:

Swoon, dir Mans Marlind and Björn Stein, prod Kristina Aberg (Swe) Bergman, dir Jane Magnusson, prods Mattias Nohrborg, Fredrik Heinig, Cecilia Nessen (Swe) Happy People, dir Samanou Acheche Sahlstrøm, prod Jakob Høgel (Den...

Six series from Denmark, Britain, Israel, Australia and the Us populate the line-up.

The six titles that will be shown in the 2016 Berlinale Special Series, the television offshoot of the Berlin Film Festival’s (Feb 11-21) Specials programme, have been revealed.

Amongst the line-up is Susanne Bier’s adaptation of John Le Carre’s spy thriller The Night Manager [pictured], which stars Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki and Tom Hollander and will be broadcast by the BBC in the UK and AMC in the USA.

Sj Clarkson’s Love, Nina, which has a script from Nick Hornby, is also on the list. The comedic miniseries stars Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Watkins, Joshua McGuire and 2015 Screen Star of Tomorrow Faye Marsay. The BBC will broadcast the series in the UK.

Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul will have the international premiere of its second series at the festival.

Berlinale Special Series 2016:

Better Call Saul – Season...

Today we see the completion of the Berlinale Special program with the addition of television series from Denmark (Splitting Up Together, created by Mette Heeno and directed by Hella Joof), Britain (The Night Manager, directed by Susanne Bier and written by David Farr, based on the novel by John le Carré), Israel (The Writer, created by Sayed Kashua and directed by Shay Capon), Australia and New Zealand (Cleverman, directed by Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell) and the Us (Better Call Saul, Season 2, from Breaking Bad showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and starring Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean and Rhea Seehorn). We've also got new titles added to the Generation programs. » - David Hudson...

Today we see the completion of the Berlinale Special program with the addition of television series from Denmark (Splitting Up Together, created by Mette Heeno and directed by Hella Joof), Britain (The Night Manager, directed by Susanne Bier and written by David Farr, based on the novel by John le Carré), Israel (The Writer, created by Sayed Kashua and directed by Shay Capon), Australia and New Zealand (Cleverman, directed by Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell) and the Us (Better Call Saul, Season 2, from Breaking Bad showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and starring Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean and Rhea Seehorn). We've also got new titles added to the Generation programs. » - David Hudson...

Hella Joof's road movie is now available on DVD, and features not only optional English subtitles, but also Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Danish for the hearing impaired. The DVD can be ordered from laserdisken.dk.

 

The site is in Danish, but you should be able to easily navigate if you follow these instructions:

You put DVDs in your basket by clicking on the blue basket symbol. Your basket is placed on the left side of your screen ("Kurven").

You go to checkout by clicking on the blue "Til kassen" link:

At Trin 2 you confirm your address. Click on "Næste trin".

At Trin 3 you choose "Betalingskort" to pay by creditcard. Click on "Næste trin".

At Trin 4 you confirm your order by clicking on "Næste trin" and you'll be forwarded to a secure site to key in your cc info.

At Trin 5 you key in your cc info. "Kontrolcifre" is a...

We reported on the teaser for this incredible looking drama back in February which is written and directed by Hella Joof and now there's a stunning full trailer available. It looks like one hell of a ride for some girls who escape from a rehab center and have a hell of a lot of fun, but I'm guessing it doesn't end up well. Really, you should check this out.

Four girls, each from different backgrounds, live in the confines of a rehabilitation centre. One day, during a field trip they make an escape. On the run, they are forced to examine their ingrained victim status and take responsibility for their own lives. What starts as a thrill ride ends up as a vengeance spree through one girl's dark past.

Trailer after the break.

TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday named Allen Braude and Elizabeth Muskala as co-directors of learning, with overall responsibility for the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children.

In addition to programming Toronto's annual Sprockets kids film festival, Braude adn Muskala will oversee youth and adult film appreciation initiatives at Bell Lightbox, the festival's year-round home set to open in late 2010.

Braude most recently was programming manager for Sprockets, while Muskala will be promoted from director of program administration at the Toronto festival.

Their ascent at Sprockets follows Jane Schoettle, the long-time director of the kids festival, stepping away from day-to-day control of Sprockets to assume more general programming duties at the Toronto festival.

The 11th annual Sprockets festival is set to run April 12-18. Programming highlights for this year's installment include Logan Smalley's "Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life" and Todd Kessler's "Keith", both from the U.S., and Swedish director Hella Joof's "Bitter Sweetheart".