The number of cinema visits fell by more than 57% last year. An “annus horribilis,” Film & Kino states. 

At the same time, the proportion of viewers who have seen Norwegian films was at an all time high.

After a nice rise of 14.5% in January, the number of cinema visits fell dramatically after the corona pandemic hit Norway in March.

“With all kinds of restrictions and occasional closures, we could not expect anything other than a sharp decline,” Film & Kino director Guttorm Petterson noted.

In total, Norwegian cinemas had just over 4.8 million visits in 2020. 

As the large, usually American films were absent, Norwegian films experienced a viewership boost. 

Over 35% of cinema-goers watched Norwegian films, which is a new record.

“Half of the films in the top ten are Norwegian,” Petterson said.

The Norwegian film “Børning 3” topped the list, while the South Korean Oscar winner “Parasite” ended up in 6th place.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today