Ketchup Acquires U.S. Rights to Norwegian Animated 'ViQueens' — SkimNews
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- Ketchup Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights to "ViQueens," a Norwegian animated film directed by Harald Zwart, following its theatrical release of Warner Bros.' "Coyote vs. Acme."
- The U.S. campaign for ViQueens launches this weekend with a teaser playing only in theaters alongside "Coyote vs. Acme," which is tracking toward $37M domestically by Labor Day Monday.
- "Coyote vs. Acme" delivered Ketchup's best domestic opening ever at $15.9M, and a theatrical date for ViQueens is now in the works.
- "ViQueens" follows Viking girls Ingrid and Hedvig on a journey from Norway through the Byzantine era and along the Silk Road to return a stowaway boy to China, blending Viking grit with Chinese wisdom and magic.
- The film features an international voice cast led by Ella Purnell as Ingrid and Rita Ora as Hedvig, with an original score by Christophe Beck.
- Sola Media is handling international sales for ViQueens, which is slated for a home-territory release in Norway on Dec. 25.
Why it matters: Ketchup is doubling down on theatrical animated family fare after "Coyote vs. Acme" set their all-time domestic opening record ($15.9M), making the distributor a notable new buyer in the indie-animation space. The teaser-on-Coyote strategy uses a projected $37M Labor Day windfall to seed a smaller Norwegian title with no U.S. brand recognition yet.
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