Chicago, IL – The first feature film based on Swedish author Steig Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has been acquired by Chicago-based Music Box Films for US distribution.
The “Millennium” trilogy has made the late Steig Larsson the world’s second-best selling author last year (behind The Kite Runner’s Khaled Hosseini), with worldwide sales at well over 12 million copies. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the US.
Meanwhile the film version, which premiered in Scandinavia last February, has grossed almost $100 million at the box office, making it the world’s third biggest earning non-English language film of 2009 with openings still to come in Germany and all English-speaking territories. DVD sales in Scandinavia have already reached the phenomenal figure of 700,000 units.
Edward Arentz, Managing Director at Music Box says, “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. Steig Larsson’s books and the films based on them are the biggest cultural export from Sweden since Abba and we are thrilled to be part of the phenomenon.”
Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Director of Scripted Sales, Zodiak Entertainment adds, “The US sale means that ‘Millennium’ has truly reached a global audience and we are delighted to be part of its on-going success.”
With a cast that includes Swedish star Michael Nyqvist and rising actress Noomi Rapace, the dark mystery thriller directed by Niels Arden Oplev has created a huge buzz around the globe.
Recently nominated for the People’s Choice Award by the European Film Academy, ‘Millennium’ is produced by Yellow Bird, the award-winning Swedish production company owned by the leading European group, Zodiak Entertainment.
Yellow Bird has recently announced the Scandinavian premiere of the next film adapted from the Stieg Larsson trilogy – Millennium 2: The Girl Who Played With Fire has outperformed the launch of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Sören Staermose, Producer of the Millennium series says, “The reception by Scandinavian audiences to “Millennium 2” has been staggering and it has been one of the biggest cinema launches in the region ever. We are delighted that the “Millennium” phenomenon keeps on growing.”
The third film Millennium 3: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is currently in post-production and will launched later this year.
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