09-01-2011

Lithuania‘s Box Office National Hits

By Auksė Kancerevičiūtė

    VILNIUS: Emilis Velyvis' crime comedy Zero 2 (http://www.zero2.lt) about mafia wars and family dramas has become the most profitable Lithuanian movie at the national box office since 1993. Zero 2, distributed by Meed Films (www.meedfilms.com), earned934,600 Litas with 71,000 admissions since its national premiere on 20 January 2010.

    Three more Lithuanian films were released in 2010, with respectable results. Farewell (Atsisveikinimas) directed and prodced by Tomas Donela and Donelos Studija (www.donelos-studija.com) was released in April 2010. The story is of a man who comes ashore for one last time to see everyone he loves and cares for, drew 2,847admissions and box office of 36,800 Litas.

    Saulius Drunga's debut feature film Anarchy in Žirmunai (Anarchija Žirmūnuose) which premiered on 9 September 2010 in Vilnius, attracted 2,702 admissions and box office of 23,100 Litas. The ironic drama about a provincial girl attracted to the big citywas produced by the Lithuanian production company Tremora (www.tremora.com), with managing producer Ieva Norviliene and Hungary's Katapul Film (www.katapult-film.com), with managing producers IvanAngelusz and Peter Reich.

    The Lithuanian-Polish Co-production Back To Your Arms (www.kaiapkabinsiutave.lt) directed byKristijonas Vildžiūnas had 57,800 Litas in box office and 5,330 admissions in its first three weeks in distribution since its 26 November 2010 release. The film was produced by Uljana Kim in collaboration with Studio Filmowe TOR (www.tor.com.pl, Poland) and associate producer Karl Baumgartner (Pandora Film, Germany).

    In comparison, the most profitable film of the 2010 was Avatar, wth 3.7 million Litas and 226,000 viewers.