Pettson Enjoys Scandinavian Success

Pettson’s Promise, the third animated TV-Loonland movie featuring internationally popular Swedish heroes Pettson and Findus, is in the midst of a successful run in Scandinavian cinemas. Based on the Christmas story The Tomte Machine, the film has sold more than 61,000 tickets in Sweden since Nov. 25, putting it at No. 2 behind Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

While the latest Potter film suffered a 48% drop in attendance in Sweden during its second week, Pettson’s Promise slipped only 3% and was well ahead of the third-place contender, which attracted just 8,000 moviegoers. Elsewhere in Scandinavia, Pettson drew 47,300 viewers in Denmark, 14,400 in Norway and 8,000 in Finland.

As with the first two movies, Pettson and Findus and Pettson and Findus II, Pettson’s Promise is based on a book series by award-winning Swedish author Sven Nordqvist. The tales of grouchy old man Pettson and his curious little tomcat, Findus, have sold more than four million copies, toping best-seller lists in Germany. Danish directors Jorgen Lerdam and Anders Sorensen teamed with Albert Hanan Kaminski, the prize-winning director of the first two movies, to adapt Nordqvist’s picture-book, Morgen, Findus, Wirds Was Geben, for the new movie.

The Pettson and Findus movies are produced at renowned British animation studio Telemagination by ZDF and ZDF Enterprises, along with Swedish animation shop Happy Life Animation and A Film in Denmark. The first installment opened in early January of 2001 and was seen by more than 1.3 million people. With the second film reaching similar success, TV-Loonland has pumped approximately 4.5 million Euros into the latest production.

‘The excellent start that our Pettson and Findus Christmas movie has made in Scandinavia gives us reason to believe that the movie will follow the success of the first two productions in Germany,” says Selma K’ppel, CEO of TV-Loonland. The holiday pic is slated to open in German theaters in December of 2006. In addition, a second season of the Pettson and Findus TV series (13×13) is currently in production and will air on ZDF.