Nordisk Film Kompagni is founded

Ole Olsen, an entrepreneur and cinema owner, founds Nordisk Film Kompagni in Valby, Copenhagen and quickly expands the company with affiliates in Berlin, Vienna, London, and New York. He produces and sells his silent movies all over the world, among them the very successful “The Lion Hunt” (1907). The company logo becomes iconic – a polar bear standing on top of the Globe.

A master of silent film

Nordisk Film’s studio lot in Valby is heavily expanded and the peak of silent film production is reached. 143 fiction and 46 non-fiction features are produced in 1914 with more than 7,000 copies sold. But World War I badly affect film distribution, production declines, affiliates are closed or sold, and Nordisk Film sees heavy losses.

Nordisk Film is reorganized

Following a liquidation a wealthy stockbroker, Carl Bauder – the majority shareholder of both Nordisk Film and the Palads Teatret cinema since 1926 – acquires all assets and reorganizes the company. During the 1930s, Bauder earns huge sums from sound film patents winning lawsuits that order major US studios to pay Nordisk Film license fees for “low noise” sound reproduction.

Balancing act during World War 2

Before, during and after the Nazi-German occupation of Denmark, Germany is one of the Danish film industry’s main trade partners. Like everyone else in the Danish film industry, Nordisk Film does business with the Germans during the occupation. Nordisk Film’s owner and executive management are not Nazi sympathizers, though, and an investigation into Nordisk Film for collaborating with the enemy is dropped after the war.

Erik Balling’s Nordisk Film

Nordisk Film releases Erik Balling’s “Kispus”, the first color feature film in Denmark. Balling also directs “Qivitog” (1956) which is nominated for an Oscar. In 1957, he became the managing director of Nordisk Film, holding the position until 1989. His leadership would leave a lasting impact on both Nordisk Film and the entire Danish film industry for decades to come

Three funny crooks

The first “Olsen Gang” film, directed by Erik Balling, is released. The film series about three small time criminals with big ideas captures the Danish national soul, become blockbuster hits and is still a vital part of Nordisk Film’s legacy. Balling also directs many all-time Danish film classics and TV series – most notable “Friends and Neighbors” (1970-1977) and “Matador” (1978-1982).

A golden age of TV

In cooperation with several Danish media companies, Nordisk Film establish Denmark’s first private local TV station, “Weekend-TV”, in 1984. It is shut down two years later, but Nordisk Film still has eyes on TV. When a new national public service channel, TV 2, is launched in 1988, Nordisk Film Broadcast supplies the viewers with many popular shows, including “Eleva2eren” (1988-1996), “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Morning Show”.

Building great partnerships

Nordisk Film merges with Egmont and continues to grow its film production, film distribution and cinemas. In the latter part of the 1990s, Nordisk Film enters a distribution deal with Sony PlayStation covering the Nordic and Baltic countries – a partnership that is still an important part of Nordisk Film’s collective business portfolio.

Strengthening the core

Nordisk Film acquires 50% of the film company Zentropa, part-owned by Lars von Trier, and establishes a joint sales company, TrustNordisk. New management sell of the television company Nordisk Film TV and the music company MBO. Now, focus is on the core businesses: film production and distribution, cinemas and interactive games/PlayStation – while a plan for venturing into new digital growth business areas is formed.

Award winning spree

Films produced by Nordisk Film and Zentropa receives several Oscar nominations throughout the 2010s, with Susanne Bier taking home the award for Best foreign-language Feature Film in 2011 for “In a Better World”.

New cinemas and digital businesses

Nordisk Film acquires Norway’s largest cinema chain, Oslo Kino AS, and one year later purchases 49% of the Norwegian Kinosør chain. New cinemas are built in Denmark, and in 2018 Nordisk Film opens its first cinema in Sweden. In 2014 Nordisk Film also buys the digital gifting company Gavekortet.dk which is later renamed GoGift.

Moving into the game industry

Nordisk Film moves into the growing Nordic gaming industry with the establishment of Nordisk Games. At this point more than 130m EUR has been invested in building a strong portfolio of Nordic game studios. 

An exciting growth story

Today we continue to be a leading entertainment company in the Nordics, producing and distributing award winning blockbuster films, owning cinemas in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, distributing interactive games and consoles, and holding a portfolio of successful game studios.