Finnish viewers were not interested in the latest part of the film series.
Image from the first part of the Arctic Heroes film series. Jussi Vatanen in the foreground. Behind Jasper Pääkkönen and Timo Lavikainen. Sandrew Metronome Distribution Finland
Heroes of the Arctic Circle 4 -film premiered on December 23, 2022. The fourth part of the fast-paced action comedy series has not attracted Finnish viewers like the previous parts, and the film can no longer be found in, for example, Finnkino’s program.
the heroes of the Arctic Circle -parts 1–3 of the film series were played by your favorite actor Jussi Vatanen. In the latest film, Vatanen’s character Janne has died. Instead of Vatanen, Heikki Ranta was seen in the main role of the fourth film.
– It has been a pleasure to serve the viewers of Napis for three movies. Janne’s role is one that I still get feedback on from time to time. Thanks for that. Although it seems strongly that my own Napis career will be over now, and that’s fine, it’s exciting to see how the saga continues. Good luck and success to the Arctic Circle, Vatanen commented on his character’s fate in the film’s announcement.
The numbers collapsed
It seems that the favorite actor may have taken the viewers with him. The viewership and box office numbers of the fourth part of the film show a dramatic drop for the worse Based on figures published by the Finnish Film Foundation.
Heroes of the Arctic Circle 4 despite everything, was the second most viewed Finnish film of last year. The top spot is held Mind blowing – the third part of the film series An upset person looking for an Eskortti. The film attracted 195,851 viewers to the theaters and collected 2,359,297.24 euros in box office revenue.
Last year’s most watched movie in Finland was Top Gun: Maverickwhich gathered 437,673 viewers in theaters in Finland and received 6,139,554.15 euros in box office revenue.
In 2010, the first part of the Polar Heroes film series drew 384,392 viewers to the theaters. Ticket revenue was 3,378,204.96 euros.
Another part Heroes of the Arctic Circle 2 (2015) fared better than its predecessor. The second part was watched by 399,050 viewers. Ticket revenue was a whopping 4,279,670.86 euros.
In the third part Heroes of the Arctic Circle 3 (2017) 270,541 viewers entered the cinema. Another 2,973,842.56 euros were collected in ticket revenue.
The fourth part Heroes of the Arctic Circle 4 (2022), however, there has been a clear collapse compared to the predecessors. The number of viewers of the film is 123,381 viewers. Ticket revenues have accumulated only 638,345.15 euros. The difference to the box office of the third part is therefore a whopping 2,335,497.15 euros.
In the fourth part, familiar characters from previous films also played. SF Studios
The market has changed
Producer of the fourth volume Marko Talli comments on the matter and states that the market has changed in the field of films. According to Talli, the success of today’s films cannot be compared to the figures of the 2010s.
“Unfortunately, no film got more than 200,000 viewers last year,” says Talli.
– Audience behavior has changed since the pandemic and the number of film titles was exceptionally high due to postponements, so the films have not reached the same audience as before in a tough competitive situation. The market has not recovered, although the quality of domestic films is constantly better and more diverse. Napis 4 did quite well at the end of the year and among the domestic films released this year, Talli says.
The team does not comment on whether Jussi Vatanen’s departure has a part in the change in numbers.
According to the team, there is a possibility for a fifth part, but there are no plans at least for now.
the heroes of the Arctic Circle -the first part of the film series was directed by Dome Karukoski, the second by Teppo Airaksinen and the third by Tiina Lymi. The fourth part has been directed Juha Wuolijoki.
Actors Pamela Tola, Timo Lavikainen, Kari KetonenJasper Pääkkönen and Mikko Töyssy.