Local 'Legend' nabs boffo B.O.

'Tadas Blinda: The Legend is Born'MOSCOW -- Popular tale of forbidden love, rebellion, sacrifice and recognition occur Czarist-era Lithuania has broken just about all box office records inside the small Baltic condition.The Eu nation of just 3.5 million people is really a proportionally small industry for local film fare inside the 2 decades since it acquired independence within the Ussr.That made an appearance to change overnight when "Tadas Blinda. The Legend Makes The WorldInch raked in 175,000 ($235,000) within the opening weekend.Released Sept. 22 in just nine locations getting an overall total of 13 screens, the costume drama attracted inside an audience of 44,500 -- over half the entire audience of 71,000 that saw the ultimate local hit, "Zero2," which acquired a complete of $365,000 at current foreign exchange rates after its release within the month of the month of january 2010.Occur 1861, "Tadas Blinda" notifies the story from the humble serf who falls deeply deeply in love with the attractive daughter from the effective landowner round the eve from the peasant rebellion.The film has touched a nerve in local audiences.Getting a cast of top local talent, a handsome hero, beautiful heroine together with a great historic sweep, it seems be have put the oomph to a Lithuanian cinema extended inside the doldrums."At first from the project, the goal wound up being to interrupt the (Lithuanian) box office record of 'Avatar' and demonstrate that a close film can beat the finest Hollywood hits," states producer Zilvinas Naujokas of Vilnius-based Tauras Films. "Avatar" did around half the organization that "Tadas Blinda" is doing on its opening weekend. Really, "Tadas Blinda's" opening box office is bested in Lithuania only by "Ice Age 3: Beginning in the Dinosaurs," which needed around $300,000 due to its first weekend."We could now report that we've not only introduced commercial Lithuanian film to cinemas, but it is also now apparent that people here wanted to find out this kind of film again. There's undoubtedly this film will finish up most likely the very best local production in publish-Soviet Lithuania," Naujokas added.Written just like a prequel with a greatly popular 1972 Lithuanian television drama, itself with various local novel, the film was produced around the $1.35 million budget.Worldwide sales for "Tadas Blinda" which are being handled by Planeta Inform Film Distribution (the first sort Sovexportfilm), will probably be launched in November within the American Film Market in Santa Monica. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com