Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
Film industry in Norway - statistics & facts
Some cinema markets entered the second year of the pandemic ready for a full recovery, while others continued in a spiral of decline. Norway is somewhere between those two groups. In 2023, the Nordic country recorded one of the five lowest annual growths in box office revenue among European economies. Furthermore, Norway ranked 22nd in cinema attendance in Europe in 2023, five positions below its placement two years earlier. Local film production found its niche, with Norway being one of the only eleven European countries where domestic films accounted for over 20 percent of movie ticket sales in 2023.
Norwegian moviemaking
The performance might result from a stable pace of film production. The annual number of domestic movies theatrically released in Norway after the pandemic slightly surpassed the 2019 premieres. The resulting decline in revenue did not constitute a record low either. In 2023, Norwegian films grossed more than in 2019, indicating that the challenging post-pandemic setback was not unprecedented for the industry. Four of the ten most-viewed movies in Norway that same year were produced in the Scandinavian country, with Norwegian titles surpassing blockbusters such as "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One."Norwegian moviegoing
The demographics of cinema audiences follow distinct patterns. Chains Odeon and Nordisk accounted for over half of movie ticket sales in 2023. Viewers are notably young, with 9-12 and 16-19 being the only two age groups in Norway whose cinema reach surpassed 65 percent. Class also plays a determinant role when it comes to adding movie theaters to one's media repertoire or at least keeping moviegoing as a habit. The reach of cinema surpassed 50 percent exclusively among viewers whose household income stood between 1.2 million and 1.55 million Norwegian kroner. Affordability also impacts the other end of that spectrum. Among people whose household income fell below 950 thousand kroner, the reach stood below 40 percent.
