Danish animated family feature Checkered Ninja has set a new national record for best opening week box office, selling 345,947 tickets in its first eight days of release, including sneak previews (seven days excluding sneak previews: 305,439). The Nordisk release also scored the best-ever four-day opening for a Danish movie with 222,760 tickets, and is the best-ever opening for any animated feature in Denmark.
The film is directed by Anders Matthesen (Terkel in Trouble, Black Balls) and is based on his 2016 debut novel. The story centers on a boy named Aske who faces bullying and complications both at home and at school. When his uncle returns from a trip to Thailand with a plaid-clad ninja doll, Aske discovers the souvenir has actually come alive and willing to help with his problems — but the Checkered NInja is also bent on getting his own revenge!
Cemille Matthesen is executive producer, with Trine Heidegaard and Anders Mastrup as producers. Thorbjørn Christoffersen (Ronal the Barbarian) served as animation director.
Checkered Ninja is produced by Copenhagen animation studio A.Film (The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear) in co-production with Sudoko ApS, Pop Up Prod. and DR, with funding from the Danish Film Institute.
LevelK is handling international rights and will shop Checkered Ninja at the European Film Market in Berlin (Feb. 7-15).
[Source: ScreenDaily]
