The Snowman ( 2017 film ) - wikipedia The Snowman ( 2017 film ) The Snowman British theatrical release poster Directed by Tomas Alfredson Produced by Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Robyn Slovo Peter Gustafsson Screenplay by Hossein Amini Peter Straughan Søren Sveistrup Based on The Snowman by Jo Nesbø Starring Michael Fassbender Rebecca Ferguson Charlotte Gainsbourg Val Kilmer J.K. Simmons Music by Marco Beltrami Cinematography Dion Beebe Edited by Claire Simpson Thelma Schoonmaker Production companies Perfect World Pictures Working Title Films Another Park Film Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date 7 October 2017 ( 2017 - 10 - 07 ) ( Haifa ) 13 October 2017 ( 2017 - 10 - 13 ) ( United Kingdom ) Running time 119 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English Budget $35 million Box office $43 million The Snowman is a 2017 British crime thriller film directed by Tomas Alfredson and written by Hossein Amini and Peter Straughan, based on the novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, J.K. Simmons, and Chloë Sevigny, and follows a detective who tries to find the identity of a killer who uses snowmen as his calling card. Principal photography began filming on 18 January 2016 in Norway. The film premiered on 7 October 2017 at the Haifa International Film Festival and was released by Universal Pictures on 13 October 2017 in the United Kingdom and 20 October 2017 in the United States. It grossed $41 million worldwide and received negative reviews, with critics calling it `` clichéd and uninvolving. '' Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Pre-production 3.2 Filming 4 Marketing 5 Release 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical response 6 References 7 External links Plot summary When Harry Hole ( Fassbender ), an elite crime squad 's lead detective, investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer nicknamed `` The Snowman '' may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit ( Ferguson ), the detective must connect decades - old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall. Cast Michael Fassbender as Detective Harry Hole Rebecca Ferguson as Katrine Bratt Charlotte Gainsbourg as Rakel Fauke Val Kilmer as Gert Rafto J.K. Simmons as Arve Støp Toby Jones as Investigator Svenson David Dencik as Idar Vetlesen Ronan Vibert as DCI Gunnar Hagen Chloë Sevigny as Sylvia Ottersen / Ane Pedersen James D'Arcy as Filip Becker Genevieve O'Reilly as Birte Becker Jamie Clayton as Edda Jakob Oftebro as Magnus Skarre Jonas Karlsson as Mathias Lund - Helgesen Michael Yates as Oleg Fauke - Gosev Alec Newman as Mould Man Jo Nesbø ( the writer of the novel on which this film is based ) was supposed to have a small cameo, but his scenes were cut. Production Pre-production According to Variety, the initial hope with the film to was to create a series in the vein of the various Alex Cross film adaptations. Screen Rant has suggested that the film was inspired by the success of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. For a while Martin Scorsese was attached to direct, although he would later drop out in 2013. The next year, Tomas Alfredson was hired to direct. Prior to Alfredson, the studio considered both Morten Tyldum and Baltasar Kormakur as possible directors, although both declined. By September 2015, Michael Fassbender was in talks to join the film for the lead role. Rebecca Ferguson and Charlotte Gainsbourg were in talks to join by that October and December respectively. Filming Principal photography on the film commenced on 18 January 2016 in Oslo, Norway. Fassbender was spotted on set for the first time on 21 January in the Barcode area of Oslo, shooting a scene on the tram. A big scene depicting a party, which required over 300 extras, was shot in Oslo City Hall on 5 February. Production moved to the area of Rjukan on 9 February, and to Bergen on 23 February. Filming in Bergen included locations such as the mountain of Ulriken, Bryggen and Skansen firestation. Production moved back to Oslo for the remainder of filming in mid-March. This included scenes at Restaurant Schrøder, where Harry Hole is a regular in the novel series. Scenes were also shot in Drammen and on the Atlantic Ocean Road. Filming ended on 1 April 2016. Reshoots and additional filming took place in Norway during the spring of 2017. In response to the negative critical reviews, Alfredson blamed the short filming schedule in which 10 -- 15 % of the screenplay was not shot during principal photography. This led to huge narrative problems when editing commenced : `` Our shoot time in Norway was way too short, we did n't get the whole story with us and when we started cutting we discovered that a lot was missing. It 's like when you 're making a big jigsaw puzzle and a few pieces are missing so you do n't see the whole picture. '' Alfredson also revealed he had a lack of time to prep the film properly : `` It happened very abruptly, suddenly we got notice that we had the money and could start the shoot in London. '' Marketing Universal Pictures released a poster on 18 July 2017, and the first trailer for the film premiered the following day. An international trailer was released on 5 September. Release The Snowman premiered at the Haifa International Film Festival on 7 October 2017. It was released on 13 October 2017 in the United Kingdom and on 20 October 2017 in the United States. Box Office As of 5 November 2017, The Snowman has grossed $6.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $28 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $34.5 million, against a production budget of $35 million. In the United States and Canada, The Snowman was released alongside Boo 2 ! A Madea Halloween, Geostorm, and Only The Brave, and was expected to gross around $10 million from 1,813 theaters in its opening weekend. However after making just $1.3 million on its first day ( including $270,000 from Thursday night previews ), weekend predictions were lowered to $4 million. It went on to debut to just $3.2 million, finishing 8th at the box office. In its second weekend the film dropped 64 % to $1.2 million, falling to 17th place at the box office. The film was then pulled from 1,291 theaters in its third week and fell 86 % to $167,685, finishing 33rd. Critical response The Snowman received negative reviews from critics, who decried the film 's scattered and incomprehensible plot line and bemoaned the lack of direction for its main cast members. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 8 % based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 3.1 / 10. The site 's critical consensus reads, `` A mystery that feels as mashed together and perishable as its title, The Snowman squanders its bestselling source material as well as a top - notch ensemble cast. '' On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 23 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating `` generally unfavorable reviews ''. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of `` D '' on an A+ to F scale. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, writing `` There 's probably a good movie or several buried in the frigid wilds of Nesbø 's fiction, and with more time and cultural nuance and fewer cooks in the kitchen, it might well be realized. Watching this bungled slopsicle of a movie, it 's hard not to conclude that somebody let the wrong one in. '' Variety 's Guy Lodge also called the film a disappointment, saying : `` If The Snowman were merely a chilly, streamlined precis of a knottier page - turner, it could stolidly pass muster. The sad surprise here, considering how deftly Alfredson and Straughan previously navigated the far more serpentine plot machinations of a John le Carré classic, is the snowballing incoherence of proceedings. '' Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film a `` leaden, clotted, exasperating mess ''. References ^ Jump up to : `` The Snowmen ( 2017 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 November 2017. Jump up ^ Giles, Jeff ( 19 October 2017 ). `` Only the Brave Is a Powerful Tribute ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jo Nesbø har fått rolle i Hollywood - filmen `` Snømannen '' ``. VG Nett. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin. `` Michael Fassbender in Talks to Star in Adaptation of Jo Nesbo 's ' The Snowman ' ''. Variety. Retrieved 26 September 2017. ^ Jump up to : Hembree, Kyle. `` Martin Scorsese Will Not Direct ' The Snowman ' ''. Screenrant. Retrieved 26 September 2017. Jump up ^ Scott Roxborough ( 21 November 2011 ). `` Martin Scorsese to Direct ' The Snowman ' for Working Title ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` ' Let the Right One In ' Director Boards Jo Nesbo 's ' The Snowman ' ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015. Jump up ^ Han, Angie. `` Tomas Alfredson Boards ' The Snowman ', Replacing Martin Scorsese ''. Slashfilm. Retrieved 26 September 2017. Jump up ^ Ford, Rebecca ( 8 September 2015 ). `` Michael Fassbender in Talks to Star in Crime Drama ' The Snowman ' ( Exclusive ) ''. hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015. Jump up ^ Jaafar, Ali ( 14 October 2015 ). `` Rebecca Ferguson In Talks To Star In ' The Snowman ' Opposite Michael Fassbender ; Eyeing Other Big Roles ''. deadline.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015. Jump up ^ Jaafar, Ali ( 16 December 2015 ). `` Charlotte Gainsbourg In Talks To Join ' The Snowman ' Opposite Michael Fassbender & Rebecca Ferguson ''. Deadline. Retrieved 16 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Filming starts for Nesbø 's ' Snowman ' ''. www.newsinenglish.no. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Her er Fassbender som Harry Hole på `` Snømannen '' - innspilling ``. VG Nett. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Spiller inn gigantisk `` Snømannen '' - scene - men statistene får ingen informasjon på forhånd ``. Dagbladet. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Nå spilles en av de mest krevende scenene i `` Snømannen '' inn ``. Dagbladet. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Snømannen ferdig innspilt ''. Radio Rjukan. 2 April 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017. ^ Jump up to : Cotter, Padraig ( October 17, 2017 ). `` The Snowman Director Criticizes ' Too Short ' Filming Schedule ''. Screen Rant. Retrieved October 21, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Eisenberg, Eric ( October 18, 2017 ). `` Why The Snowman Has So Many Problems, According To The Director ''. CinemaBlend. Retrieved October 21, 2017. Jump up ^ Busch, Anita ( 25 April 2017 ). `` Universal 's ' Half To Death ' & ' The Snowman ' Swap Slots ; ' Insidious : Chapter 4 ' Moves Off 2017 Schedule -- Update ''. Deadline. Retrieved 26 April 2017. Jump up ^ Anthony D'Alessandro ( 18 October 2017 ). `` Boo 2 ! ' To Shut Down Expensive ' Geostorm ' In Crowded Weekend -- Box Office Preview ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017. ^ Jump up to : Anthony D'Alessandro. `` ' Boo 2 ! A Madea Halloween ' Reaps $21 M+ During October Dumping Ground At The B.O ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Jump up ^ Anthony D'Alessandro. `` Horror Has Few Scares At B.O. As ' Jigsaw ' Dulls To $16 M+, ' Suburbicon ' Condemned With D - CinemaScore ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017. Jump up ^ Anthony D'Alessandro. `` ' Thor : Ragnarok ' Flexes His Box Office Muscles To $120 M - $122 M Opening -- Early Sunday AM Update ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 5 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' The Snowman ' Reviews : What the Critics Are Saying ''. Variety. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Snowman ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Snowman reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved 28 October 2017. Jump up ^ Chang, Justin ( 19 October 2017 ). `` Michael Fassbender wo n't melt your heart in the dreadfully incoherent thriller ' The Snowman ' ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Film Review : ' The Snowman ' ''. Variety. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017. Jump up ^ Dargis, Manohla. `` Review : ' The Snowman ' Is a Thrill - Free Thriller Tied in Knots ''. The New York Times. External links Official website The Snowman on IMDb The Snowman at FilmAffinity Films directed by Tomas Alfredson Screwed in Tallinn ( 1999 ) Four Shades of Brown ( 2004 ) Let the Right One In ( 2008 ) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ( 2011 ) The Snowman ( 2017 ) Jo Nesbø Harry Hole series The Bat ( 1997 ) Cockroaches ( 1998 ) The Redbreast ( 2000 ) Nemesis ( 2002 ) The Devil 's Star ( 2003 ) The Redeemer ( 2005 ) The Snowman ( 2007 ) The Leopard ( 2009 ) Phantom ( 2011 ) Police ( 2013 ) The Thirst ( 2017 ) Other novels The Son ( 2014 ) Other works Stemmer fra Balkan ( 1999 ) Karusellmusikk ( 2001 ) Okkupert ( 2015 ) Adaptations Headhunters ( 2011 ) The Snowman ( 2017 ) See also Di Derre Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Snowman_(2017_film)&oldid=816076694 '' Categories : 2017 films English - language films 2010s crime thriller films British films Films directed by Tomas Alfredson Screenplays by Matthew Michael Carnahan Films produced by Tim Bevan Films produced by Eric Fellner Films based on Norwegian novels Films based on crime novels British crime thriller films Films shot in Norway Films set in Norway Detective films Working Title Films films Universal Pictures films Hidden categories : Use British English from September 2017 Use dmy dates from September 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2017 All articles containing potentially dated statements Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Italiano Norsk Português Română Русский Suomi Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 December 2017, at 03 : 04. 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Question: what book is the snowman movie based off of
Answer: the novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø