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Sweden's most watched movies of 2017: Star Wars beaten by film you've never heard of

The Local Sweden
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Sweden's most watched movies of 2017: Star Wars beaten by film you've never heard of
"Wait, what?" Photo: Joel C Ryan/AP

With the likes of Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi released, 2017 was a huge year for blockbusters, and the big-hitters grossed billions at box-offices across the globe.

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Sweden has its own way of doing things though. Take Wonder Woman for example, which only managed to place 25th on the country’s "most watched" rankings for the year, being seen 205,595 times. The second Guardians of the Galaxy performed better, but not much (15th with 296,154), while Dunkirk edged them in 12th with 319,902 views.

But surely even the stoic Swedes would be moved by Luke Skywalker's long-awaited return to the big screen and flock to see The Last Jedi like pretty much everyone else? They did, with the new Star Wars watched 696,896 times in 2017, but it still only came second in the Swedish cinema most-watched ranking.

So what powerhouse was big enough to topple even Star Wars?

A movie adaptation of a long-running TV sitcom that most people outside of Scandinavia have probably never even heard of: Solsidan. Watched 782,367 times between being released on December 1st and the end of 2017, it was by some distance the most seen film at Swedish cinemas for the year (though The Last Jedi was released on December 13th, so had less time to draw in the public).

The movie is a continuation of the hit TV show, following the trials and tribulations of upper middle class Swedes in Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm County.

Compared to Star Wars Episode VIII's budget of $200 million, Solsidan's $4.28 million cost looks meagre, and the people behind it are understandably happy. In December alone it made more than 92 million kronor ($11.43 million) at domestic box offices.

'"It clearly shows that good and engaging Swedish films are what Swedish cinema-goers want to see. We're both happy and proud," Pia Grünler, head of distribution at SF Studios which distributed the film, said in a statement.

Apparently Swedes aren't sick of the movie yet either. According to SF, as of January 15th more than one million (1,001,257 to be exact) had watched Solsidan at cinemas.

Here’s the full list of Sweden's ten most watched movies of 2017:

1. Solsidan (783,367)
2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (696,896)
3. Despicable Me 3 (613,266)
4. Beauty and the Beast (524,111)
5. It (500,389)
6. Moana (475,918)
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (475,858)
8. The 101 Year Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill & Disappeared (381,831)
9. The Boss Baby (381,831)
10. Fifty Shades Darker (381,309)

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