‘Bordertown’ Producer Fisher King, Owned by Beta Film, Goes Bankrupt

Fisher King, the main Finnish firm behind a few of Scandinavia’s largest scripted hits together with “Bordertown” and “The Helsinki Syndrome,” has gone bankrupt amid challenges which have thrown the Scandinavian TV trade into turmoil.

Beta Movie, which acquired Fisher King in 2019 and subsequently launched the umbrella banner Beta Nordic Studios, stated the corporate was declared bankrupt on Dec. 23.

Fisher King was based in 2013 by govt producer Matti Halonen and chief visible officer Miikko Oikkonen. Over time, the outfit was in a position to produce a few of the area’s most formidable drama sequence via worldwide co-productions. The corporate’s latest titles embody “Estonia,” a restricted sequence directed by Swedish director Måns Månsson and Finnish director Juuso Syrjä, about Europe’s deadliest civil maritime catastrophe which killed over 850 individuals in 1994. Oikkonen was a showrunner and co-wrote the present.

Talking to Selection, Beta Nordic Studios’ govt chairman Justus Riesenkampff stated that despite its stellar monitor file, “Fisher King was severely affected by opposed market developments, like many manufacturing firms, significantly in smaller markets.”

Riesenkampff identified “the rising manufacturing prices as a consequence of inflation have led the corporate into a really tense scenario.” The manager cited “declining order volumes from broadcasters and platforms” as the primary setback going through native producers.

Throughout the final couple years, Scandinavia has seen commissions from streamers collapse. HBO Max pulled out of originals within the Nordics in 2022, whereas the native streaming champion Viaplay, which was a important supply of financing, has in the reduction of drastically on scripted whereas it’s going via an enormous restructuring. Viaplay’s output has gone to 40 unique productions per 12 months to 10 or much less titles. Native TV channels stay a supply of financing however are sometimes inadequate to cowl budgets for top profile sequence.

Riesenkampff says the Nordics, like the remainder of Europe, has been “confronted with consolidation as commissioners decide out,” citing Viaplay as “one instance.”

But, Beta Movie isn’t contemplating folding its operations within the Nordics, as a result of the demand continues to be there and its trade is “very modern, aggressive, and fruitful.”

Martin Håkansson, Beta Nordic Studios’ CEO, concurs, saying that regardless of these challenges within the Scandi biz, Beta Nordic Studios continues to be pursuing “promising developments.”

“Our Swedish subsidiary Limitless Tales is presently very profitable with its new function movie ‘Hammarskjöld – Combat for Peace’ in regards to the former United Nation Lawyer Common, which premiered round Christmas in Sweden and is presently #1 with a complete of 250.000 admissions,” Håkansson. One of many undertaking on Limitless Tales’ pipeline is “Stockholm Delight,” an LGTBQ+-series which Beta Movie will current throughout Berlinale.

One other banner owned by Beta Nordic Studios, Sagafilm, which is predicated in Iceland, might be at Goteborg Movie Competition’s Nordic TV market with “Hildur,” a brand new crime drama, whereas Cinenord from Norway is producing a fourth and fifth season of “Wisting.”

Beta Nordic Studios’ improvement roster additionally consists of “Raoul Wallenberg,” a big-budget drama sequence in regards to the Swedish diplomat who saved hundreds of Jewish individuals throughout WWII.

Whereas Fisher King is being deal with by a court-appointed administrator, the corporate is presently in post-production with season two of “The Helsinki Syndrome.”