klcontactcheck The Millennium trilogy was written by the Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It has has been a huge international hit. So far, the books have sold in more than 26 million copies world wide. The trilogy consists of the three books Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornets´ nest.
Yellow Bird has produced three feature films and six TV films in Swedish based on the entire trilogy, starring Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander. The production has been carried out in cooperation with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, the distributor Nordisk Film, Film i Väst, Filmpool Stockholm Mälardalen and Spiltan Underhållning M.
There is a huge international interest for the project. The first feature film, Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), has been sold to more than 50 countries. The second and third films - The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornets' nest - have so far been bought by more than 20 countries. For release dates in various markets, please see below.
At the Swedish Guldbagge Award 2009 Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) won in three categories: Best Picture, The Audience Award and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander).
RELEASE SCHEDULE
Cinema
The first feature film, Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragoon tattoo), has opened on cinemas in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the UK, Iceland, Estonia, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Argentine and Uruguay.
So far, total admissions are around 7.6 million, whereof 2.8 million in the Nordic countries, 1.5 million in Spain and 1.2 million in France. In Norway and Denmark it was the most visited Swedish film ever. The film is scheduled to open next in Australia (March); in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Paraguay, Chile, Taiwan and Singapore (April); in Mexico and Hungary (May) and in the Czech and Slovak Republics (July).
The girl who played with fire has opened in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Canada. Total admissions are so far around 4.2 million, whereof 2.4 million in the Nordic countries. The film is scheduled to open next in Estonia and Portugal (March); in France (June) and in the UK and the US during summer 2010.
The girl who kicked the hornets' nest has been released in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Spain. Total admissions are so far around 2 million. The film is scheduled to open next in Canada, Estonia and Greece (April); Italy (May) and France, Germany, Swizerland and Austria (June).
TV
SVT in Sweden and Canal+ in France started to broadcast the six TV films on 20 and 22 March respectively. The films will subsequently also be broadcast by ZDF (Germany), DR (Denmark), TV2 (Norway) and MTV 3 (Finland) during 2010.
DVD
All three films have been released on DVD in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The first and second film have been released in Italy. The first film has also been released in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo breaks $100 million mark Close
The first film in the Swedish Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has grossed $ 103 million* at the box office worldwide making it one of the most successful European non-English speaking films of all time.
“This is beyond what we ever expected. For a film shot in a language spoken by merely nine million people, this kind of success is absolutely remarkable.” said Mikael Wallén, President of the production company Yellow Bird, part of the Zodiak Entertainment Group.
During the 2000s only five other non-English European films have grossed above $100 million. All of them are French and include Amélie ($174 million) and the recent hit Welcome to the Sticks ($245 million)*.
Outside Scandinavia, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) has been particularly successful in Spain ($14 million), France ($10 million) and the US ($8.7 million). The film is yet to be released in several major markets such as Russia and Mexico.
David Frank, CEO of Zodiak Entertainment, which also handles international sales of the trilogy said, “The Millennium trilogy is currently one of our most important assets. Around 50 territories have bought the first film and already some 30 countries have picked up the second and third.”
The second film in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, opens in the US and the UK on July 2 and August 27 respectively. The final part, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, will also get US and UK releases during the autumn. Taken together, the three films have so far grossed around $173 million worldwide.
Swedish company Yellow Bird has produced the trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson’s immensely popular books and together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. The Zodiak Entertainment group consists of more than 40 production companies in 18 territories and boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
Yellow Bird is currently developing several new films based on Scandinavian bestsellers. The shooting of a Norwegian feature film adaptation of Jo Nesbö’s thriller novel Headhunters will begin in September, starring Aksel Hennie. The film will be produced together with Friland. In Sweden, the company is developing a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Shooting is expected to start early next year.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, President of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
*Box Office Mojo reports a total worldwide gross for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo of $100,385,404. This figure however excludes box office in Canada of around $2.6 million. Gross figures for Amelie and Welcome to the Sticks are taken from Box Office Mojo. The foreign figures included therein do not necessarily add up to the foreign totals.
29 Jun 2010
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo breaks $100 million mark Close
The first film in the Swedish Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has grossed $ 103 million* at the box office worldwide making it one of the most successful European non-English speaking films of all time.
“This is beyond what we ever expected. For a film shot in a language spoken by merely nine million people, this kind of success is absolutely remarkable.” said Mikael Wallén, President of the production company Yellow Bird, part of the Zodiak Entertainment Group.
During the 2000s only five other non-English European films have grossed above $100 million. All of them are French and include Amélie ($174 million) and the recent hit Welcome to the Sticks ($245 million)*.
Outside Scandinavia, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) has been particularly successful in Spain ($14 million), France ($10 million) and the US ($8.7 million). The film is yet to be released in several major markets such as Russia and Mexico.
David Frank, CEO of Zodiak Entertainment, which also handles international sales of the trilogy said, “The Millennium trilogy is currently one of our most important assets. Around 50 territories have bought the first film and already some 30 countries have picked up the second and third.”
The second film in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, opens in the US and the UK on July 2 and August 27 respectively. The final part, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, will also get US and UK releases during the autumn. Taken together, the three films have so far grossed around $173 million worldwide.
Swedish company Yellow Bird has produced the trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson’s immensely popular books and together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. The Zodiak Entertainment group consists of more than 40 production companies in 18 territories and boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
Yellow Bird is currently developing several new films based on Scandinavian bestsellers. The shooting of a Norwegian feature film adaptation of Jo Nesbö’s thriller novel Headhunters will begin in September, starring Aksel Hennie. The film will be produced together with Friland. In Sweden, the company is developing a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Shooting is expected to start early next year.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, President of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
*Box Office Mojo reports a total worldwide gross for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo of $100,385,404. This figure however excludes box office in Canada of around $2.6 million. Gross figures for Amelie and Welcome to the Sticks are taken from Box Office Mojo. The foreign figures included therein do not necessarily add up to the foreign totals.
25 Mar 2010
Entire Millennium trilogy on US cinemas Close
It has been confirmed that all three films in the Millennium trilogy will get cinematic release in the US. The first film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, opened last Friday (19 march) and grossed 340,000 USD at the box office during the first weekend. This is equivalent of around 30,000 visitors, which is a very strong opening for a foreign film. The American distributor Music Box films has therefore decided to release the sequels The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest on cinemas beginning in summer 2010.
- We are pleased that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been received so well in the US, both by the cinema audience and by critics. It is a very tough market to enter and it is therefore a great success for us that that film two and three will also be released, said Mikael Wallén, MD of the production company Yellow Bird.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo also opened recently in the UK (12 March). The film is currently number five at the UK box office, with a total of so far 150,000 visitors. At the same time, the extended TV versions of the films have started to broadcast. Last Saturday, 20 March, 1.5 million people watched the first part of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) at the Swedish channel SVT. This was equivalent to a viewing share of 43 percent. Last Monday, 22 March, Canal+ broadcast the first part in France. Eighteen percent (1.2 million) of the channel’s subscribers in the country watched the programme, which was the best opening of a foreign series at Canal+ this year.
The adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy is produced by Yellow Bird, together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird: mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se, +46-704 31 21 15
16 Mar 2010
Record Swedish DVD sales for Millennium Close
The sales success for the films in the Millennium trilogy continues. The three films Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ nest have together sold more than 1.1 million copies on DVD and Blu-ray in Sweden.
Sales have been the highest for Men Who Hate Women/The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. With 365,000 copies sold it is the best selling Swedish film on DVD in Sweden ever. With regards to Blu-ray it is the second most sold film in Sweden ever (including foreign films), outperformed only by Batman: The Dark Knight.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo opened on cinemas in the UK on Friday 12 March. It was released in 114 copies. In the US, the film premiers on Friday 19 March.
26 Jan 2010
Millennium producer comments on the Guldbagge Awards Close
At yesterday’s Guldbagge Awards 2009 in Stockholm, Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) picked up prizes in three categories: Best Picture, The Audience Award and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Noomi Rapace for Lisbeth Salander).
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird, comments:
-The fact that we won both Best Picture and The Audience Award shows that this film has been very popular with both the Swedish people and the Guldbagge jury, which is a fantastic recognition. I am also excited over Noomi´s award, which she really deserved. In all countries where the film has opened, people have told me that she is just as they imagined Lisbeth Salander when reading the books. Her achievement has thus been very important for the popularity of the film.
Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has now sold to 38 territories. So far, 7.5 million have seen the film in the 20 countries where it has opened. During 2010 it will premier in the US, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore, among other countries.
In total, the films in the Millennium trilogy (Men Who Hate Women/The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest) have attracted an audience of close to 13 million.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose
Producer
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
02 Nov 2009
Millennium producer receives Spanish film award Close
Søren Stærmose, the producer behind the adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, has received the Seville European Film Festival’s award to industry professionals. The award is in recognition of the Swede’s successful career in various film markets. Søren Staermose has a long experience as a producer in Scandinavia. Among other things he has previously produced the early Martin Beck films based on the novels by Sjöwall/Wahlöö. Since 2005 he works for the production company Yellow Bird where he has most recently produced the three films in the Millennium trilogy - Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. When awarding the prize, the Seville Film Festival specifically recognised the production model that Yellow Bird and Søren Stærmose are working with. Yellow Bird usually produces a series of films together with and for broadcasters in several countries, with one or more of the films also released on cinemas. The adaptation of the Millennium trilogy is the most successful example of this model, but other Yellow Bird projects, such as the Swedish series of Wallander films, has a similar set-up.
Søren Stærmose commented:
”I am glad that both my own and the company’s work is recognised by this award. Our way of working means that our productions can be done with a higher budget than is usually the case in Scandinavia. I think that this is one of several reasons for why the Millennium films have proved so successful.”
Søren Stærmose will receive the award at the opening gala of the Seville European Film Festival on November 6. Spain is the country where Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has had the highest number of cinema visitors (1.6 million). When The Girl Who Played With Fire recently opened in the country it went straight to the second place on the box office.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Stærmose
Producer
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
05 Oct 2009
Men who hate women to open in the US Close
The first feature film in the Millennium trilogy, Men Who Hate Women (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in the UK and the US), has been acquired by Chicago-based Music Box Films for US distribution. The film is scheduled to premier on cinemas in March 2010.
"We are extremely pleased to offer US audiences the opportunity to see the riveting The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, one of the most talked about international films of the year", says Edward Arentz, Managing Director at Music Box.
Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) has now sold to more than 30 countries in total*. It has attracted more than 6.6 million visitors and grossed almost $100million at the box office – making it the world’s third biggest earning foreign language film of 2009. It was also recently nominated for the People’s Choice Award by the European Film Academy.
"We have eagerly awaited a distribution deal for Men Who Hate Women in the USA. The success in Europe has of course helped to get this in place. It will be interesting to see how the US audience will receive the film", says Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
The second film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, premiered in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland on September 18 and has so far attracted more than one million visitors in the four countries. The third film, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, will be launched in Scandinavia on November 27.
The adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy, starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, the distributor Nordisk Film, Film i Väst and Filmpool Stockholm Mälardalen. Outside the Nordic countries, Zodiak Entertainment distributes the films.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose
Producer
soren.staermose@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
*A full list of countries the film has sold to is available on request.
21 Sep 2009
Opening success for the second Millennium movie Close
This weekend, almost 477 000 Scandinavian cinema visitors went to see The girl who played with fire - beating the opening for Men who hate women.
The girl who played with fire opened in cinemas on Friday 18 September in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The movie, based on the second book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, had 476,824 visitors in total in the four countries (179,222 in Sweden, 181,225 in Denmark, 103,631 in Norway and 12,746 in Finland). The figures reveal a stronger opening than the first film in the trilogy, Men who hate women, in all countries.
”We are delighted that the massive interest in Millennium continues. So many people appreciated the first movie and it is great that they have returned to see more,” says Mikael Wallen, MD of the film’s production company Yellow Bird.
”It is fantastic to see that The girl who played with fire attracted even more visitors than the first film. This is a fantastic series of films and we are happy and proud to be distributing them”, says Pia Grünler, Head of film distribution at Nordisk Film.
The girl who played with fire premiered at 183 cinemas in Sweden, 124 in Denmark, 114 in Norway and 41 in Finland. The movie opens on 25 September and 23 October in Italy and Spain respectively.
The adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, has been produced by Yellow Bird along with the Swedish broadcaster SVT and German broadcaster ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
Martin Strömberg, press manager for The girl who played with fire
martin@strombergpr.se
+46-707-716 447
04 Aug 2009
Millennium a major box office hit Close
Yellow Bird’s first feature film in the Millennium trilogy, Men Who Hate Women, is the world’s third biggest earning foreign language film of 2009. In total it has now grossed more than €50 million at the box office with a total number of visitors in excess of six million. Furthermore, the film has also recently sold to Germany, Japan, Austria, South Korea and Portugal. Those countries follow in the footsteps of the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Poland, Greece, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Canada and Australia, where the film has already been picked up.
Men who hate women, based on Stieg Larsson’s best selling book, has so far had its biggest success in the Nordic countries (2.8 million visitors), France (1,2 million) and Spain (1,22 million). On Friday this week the film will open in the Netherlands and in Germany the release is scheduled for October 1.
- I am delighted that Men who hate women is now also starting to sell to countries where the book hasn’t enjoyed the same enormous popularity. This, together with the box office success, proves that the film is good enough to live on its own merits, says Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Yellow Bird is also producing the second and third part of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. The girl who played with fire will premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
03 Jun 2009
International success continues for Men who hate women Close
Yellow Bird´s first feature film in the Millennium trilogy – Men Who Hate Women – has over the last weeks successfully opened on cinemas in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. So far, it has received huge interest. In Spain and Italy the film is number two and three respectively on the box office since its opening on Friday last week. In France it is number four after nearly three weeks of showing. Total admissions in the six countries are around 1.3 million, where of around 850,000 in France, 150,000 in Italy and 220,000 in Spain. In the Nordic countries the film has also been very successful, with an audience of 2.6 million since its premier in February/March.
Moreover, the film has just been sold to five new territories, including the UK and Australia, with more than 15 others showing a strong interest and likely to close deals imminently. Apart from the UK and Australia, the film was picked up by Greece, Mexico and Argentina, joining distributors in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Canada and Poland that had already acquired the rights to the film.
- It is very rare for a non-English speaking film to obtain this kind of extensive international distribution. We are very pleased that our adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s fantastic books have so much appeal to buyers all over the world, says Mikael Wallén, Managing Director of Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is based on Stieg Larsson’s best seller and produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Yellow Bird is also adapting the second and third part of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. The girl who played with fire is to premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
21 May 2009
Men who hate women a success in France Close
Production company Yellow Bird’s feature film Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) was the second most visited film in France during its first week of screening, with total admissions of 446 618. Millennium – le film, which is the French title, was more popular during the week than both X-men Origins and Star Trek. Critics in France have also been generally positive. Among others, the papers Le Figaro and Le Point gave the film the highest possible marks. Figaro wrote: “Noomi Rapace, the star find of the film makes for a perfect Lisbeth, edgy and intensely rebellious”. Le Point was of the opinion that “The film takes its time and with a restrained style devoid of all pomp it succeeds where “The Da Vinci Code” failed as an adaptation of a best-seller.” (For a list of some critics’ comments see for example http://www.commeaucinema.com/critiques=138630.html).
Stieg Larsson’s three books in the Millennium trilogy have been very successful in France, with more than three million copies sold. On the back of this, the adaptation of the first book has received huge attention in the country. Millennium – le film opened at more than 550 cinemas and is being massively marketed. At the Cannes film festival a big Millennium party was held attracting a thousand or so visitors. In its special edition prior to the festival, the French trade magazine Film Francais covered the film in an eight pages long report. Yellow Bird’s producer Sören Staermose comments on the attention surrounding the French opening of Millennium:
- The film has been received in a fantastic way in Cannes and France the last week, for which I am incredibly happy. Besides entertaining and engaging many people, both the film and the books have triggered a debate among the French concerning oppression of women in the world. It is a great victory for the writer and feminist Stieg Larsson.
In Belgium, Men who hate women opened on May 20 and in Italy and Spain it will premier on May 29. Yellow Bird has produced the film together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
23 Apr 2009
Second Millennium film opens in Scandinavia in September Close
It is now definite when the remaining two films in the Millennium trilogy will open on cinemas. The girl who played with fire is to premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
- The last two films will focus to an even greater extent on Lisbeth Salander and her story. All Salander fans will definitely be satisfied, says Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
Meanwhile, the success for Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) continues, with a total number of visitors on cinemas in the Nordic countries of more than 2.4 million. The film will open in France on May 13 and in Italy and Spain on May 29.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornets´ nest are all based on Stieg Larsson’s best selling books in the Millennium trilogy and are produced by Yellow Bird together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, Producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
20 Apr 2009
One million admissions for Men who hate women in Sweden Close
After only seven weeks on cinemas, Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) has had more than one million visitors in Sweden. Total admissions in the Nordic countries are close to 2.5 million. In both Denmark and Norway it is the most seen Swedish film ever.
- We are very proud of the success in Sweden, but also of the fact that Nordisk Film has managed so well in promoting a Swedish film in the other Nordic countries, says Pia Grünler, Head of Distribution at Nordisk Film in Sweden.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) opens on cinemas in france on May 13 and in Italy and Spain on May 29.
- We are very happy for the success in the Nordic countries and are now looking forward with excitement to see how the films will be received in the rest of Europe, says Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) is based on the first book in Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy. The film has been produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, Producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
20 Mar 2009
Entire Millennium trilogy on cinemas Close
The success for Men who hate women continues, with over 1.5 million visitors on cinemas in Scandinavia. At the same time, it is now definite that The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornet’s nest will also get cinematic release.
"We are very happy for the opportunity to put The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornet’s nest on cinemas", says Pia Grünler, Head of Film Distribution at Nordisk Film. "Since Men who hate women is such an enormous success in the whole of Scandinavia, it feels exciting to be able to offer the following two films to the cinema audience as well".
"We have always hoped for this possibility. Yellow Bird and I, as well as the director Daniel Alfredsson and the rest of the film team, are very happy for the opportunity to make feature films also of the other two books. Stieg Larsson’s successful novels and the entire cinema audience really deserve this", says Sören Staermose, Yellow Bird´s producer.
Planned release dates are mid September 2009 for The girl who played with fire and end of November 2009 for The girl who kicked the hornet´s nest.
The films are based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy and are produced by Yellow Bird, together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
Men who hate women are currently on top of the box office charts in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. After only three weeks, the film has been seen by more than 1.5 million people in Scandinavia. In Sweden, 640.500 people have seen the film. In Finland, Men who hate women open on cinemas on March 27.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
Annmari Bergmark, Nordisk Film
Annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com,
+46-8-587 822 85
03 Mar 2009
Record opening for Men who hate women Close
Men who hate women attracted the largest cinema audience ever on an opening weekend for a Swedish film, with 350 000 visitors.
On Friday 27 February, Men who hate women opened on cinemas in Sweden and Denmark. The film is based on the first book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series and is produced by Yellow Bird together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
During the weekend, 350 000 people saw the film in Scandinavia, which is the best ever opening for a Swedish film. The total number of visitors was 175 000 in Sweden and 175 939 in Denmark. No Swedish film has ever been close to such figures in Denmark during an opening weekend.
”The number of visitors was above our expectations, so we are very pleased”, commented the MD of Yellow Bird, Mikael Wallén.
”It is a fantastic opening, which is above our high expectations”, says Pia Grünler, head of Nordisk Film Distribution in Sweden.”It is even more fun when a Swedish film becomes as big in Denmark as in Sweden.”
Men who hate women premiered on a total of 166 auditoriums in more than 130 cities all over Sweden. In Denmark the films was released in a total of 100 copies. The interest prior to the opening was huge and several of the shows were sold out both in both countries. In Sweden, only a few movies such as Arn, Harry Potter and the order of Phoenix and Pirates of the Carribean: At world’s end, have been close to arouse the same kind of interest as Men who hate women.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
Annmari Bergmark, PR manager Nordisk Film
Annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com,
+46-8-587 822 85
25 Feb 2009
Huge international success for Yellow Bird’s Millennium films Close
Production company Yellow Bird’s Swedish productions of Stieg Larsson’s three books in the Millennium series enjoy great international interest. During the European Film Market at the Berlin film festival, Zodiak Entertainment Distribution closed deals with distributors in Spain, Poland and Switzerland. The sales to Spain and Poland include the rights to distribute both the TV-films and the feature film to cinema, whereas the sale to Switzerland only includes the feature film. In total, the films have now been sold to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain and Poland.
Yellow Bird is producing six TV films in Swedish based on the entire Millennium trilogy as well as a feature film based on the first book Men who hate women. The films are co-produced with the broadcasters SVT in Sweden and ZDF in Germany, as well as with the distributor Nordisk Film.
”Our previous international sales took place even before we had a film to show. During the film festival in Berlin we had our first market screening of Men who hate women which was very well received. The last sales took place after the screening and we hope that the interest will increase further as more distributors actually get a chance to see the film”, says Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird.
Zodiak Entertainment continues sales negotiations of the Millennium films with several other countries worldwide.
Men who hate women (original title Män som hatar kvinnor) opens on cinemas in Sweden and Denmark 27 February, in Norway 13 March and in Finland 27 March. In France and Italy the will film will preliminary have cinematic release in May.
The six TV films will be broadcast by SVT (Sweden), ZDF (Germany), DR (Denmark), TV2 (Norway) and MTV3 (Finland) during 2010.
For further information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellowbird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
04 Nov 2008
Continued sales success for Millennium films Close
Zodiak International announced today it has closed a significant deal with UGC in France for the new productions of Stieg Larsson’s three best-selling books in the Millennium series, created by production company Yellow Bird. UGC has acquired the cinematic, TV and DVD rights to distribute both the feature film and the TV series in France and some French speaking territories, with the cinematic release expected next year.
UGC is one of the most important cinema groups in Europe, involved in aspects of the cinema business including exhibition, distribution and production.
Yellow Bird is producing a feature film based on the first book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, as well as six television films based on the entire Millennium trilogy. The TV films based on the third book are currently being shot in Sweden.
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird said, “The Millennium series of books is one of the most read in the world today and we are delighted to be creating cinema and television films which we know will have such strong appeal.”
Jorg Roth, Managing Director of Zodiak International added, “As we establish ourselves as a leading distributor of high-end drama, we are pleased to announce this substantial deal with UGC. The strong potential of Millennium as well as the new Wallander series, also produced by Yellow Bird, gives us an exceptional start in this challenging market.”
Brigitte Maccioni, Head of the Production and Distribution Department at UGC, commented on the announcement, “We are very pleased to have acquired the eagerly awaited Millennium feature film and TV series. The Millennium series of books is extremely popular in France - having sold more than 2 million copies - and French audiences are extremely impatient to discover them on screen."
Zodiak International, which recently announced that Italy’s top film distributor BIM Distribuzione has acquired the Millennium films, is also in negotiations with several other countries. Meanwhile, Yellow Bird is shooting the TV films based on the third book in the Millennium trilogy. In Sweden and Denmark, the Millennium feature film premiers in cinemas during February 2009.
For further information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén
MD Yellowbird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704312115
Jörg Roth
MD Zodiak International
jorg.roth@zodiakinternational.com
+44-7818048801
Brigitte Maccioni
CEO UGC Images
bmaccioni@ugc.fr
+33 1 46 40 46 36
Deb Lawrence
The Lippin Group
+44 20 3008 5406
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
09 Oct 2008
Yellow Bird’s Millennium films sold to Italy Close
Production company Yellow Bird’s productions of Stieg Larsson’s three books in the Millennium series are now conquering Europe as distributor Zodiak International has closed a major deal with Italy’s top film distributor BIM Distribuzione.
Yellow Bird is producing six TV films based on the entire Millennium trilogy, as well as a feature film based on the first book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. BIM has acquired the cinematic, TV and DVD rights to distribute both the TV films and the feature film in Italy and Italian speaking territories, with the cinematic release expected next year.
Based in Rome, BIM specialises in the distribution of international art house films and productions from independent directors, previously handling renowned titles such as The Motorcycle Diaries, Brokeback Mountain and Fahrenheit 9/11.
“It is incredibly rewarding to produce something as popular as Millennium. The interest is huge, both in Sweden and internationally, and I am sure this deal with BIM will be the first of many global sales”, says Mikael Wallén, CEO of Yellow Bird.
“The deal with BIM is an important step for Zodiak International and puts us well on the way to establishing ourselves as an international distributor of drama. We are now building a drama portfolio with huge sales potential with shows like Millennium and other titles like Yellow Bird´s Wallander films for the BBC”, says Jörg Roth, MD of Zodiak International.
Currently, Zodiak International is in negotiations with several other countries over the Millennium films. Meanwhile, Yellow Bird is shooting two TV films based on the second book in the Millennium trilogy, “The Girl Who Played With Fire”. In Sweden and Denmark, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” premiers in cinemas during February 2009.
For further information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD Yellowbird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704312115
Jörg Roth, MD Zodiak International
jorg.roth@zodiakinternational.com
+44-7818048801
Deb Lawrence, Lippin Group
+44 20 3008 5406
dlawrence@lippingroup.com
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