18-10-2011

Koko and the Ghosts Tops Croatian Domestic Box Office

By FNE Staff

    The feature live-action film Koko and the Ghosts has become the number one box office entry in Croatia after its premiere in early October. During the opening weekend it was seen by 6,884 people, the record for a domestic film in the last five years and the first Croatian film in several years to achieve such success.

    Koko and the Ghosts opened simultaneously in all major Croatian cities (Zagreb, Osijek, Split, Rijeka, Šibenik, Pula, Dubrovnik) before expanding to cinemas across the country. It drew special interest from elementary schools, which organised school visits to the theatres, driving the box office sense.

    The film is based on the 50-year-old literary classic, a children's detective fiction by Ivan Kušan, which still mandatory reading in Croatian elementary schools. It was directed by Daniel Kušan, and it stars Antonio Parač, Nina Mileta, Kristian Bonačić, Filip Mayer, Ivan Maltarić, Ozren Grabarić, and Dijana Vidušin. It premiered at the 2011 Pula Film Festival, where it won the audience award.

    Koko and the Ghosts is the story of a boy named Koko who moves to the city from the countryside and finds new friends, but when he gets into trouble he needs help from his old friends as well. The flat he moves in used to belong to Vincek, an elderly miser whose death is veiled by mystery.

    The film was produced by the Zagreb company Kinorama (www.kinorama.hr) and co-produced by Croatian Radio and Television (HRT, www.hrt.hr).