Reijo Jämes, Marketing Director of Finnkino, the country’s largest cinema chain, said that last summer was the best ever in terms of ticket sales.

”We had record sales in June this year, and this August is shaping up to be the best ever,” he explained to YLE.

Attendances in June and August were four percent higher than during the same months last year, translating into about 50,000 more patrons in Finnkino movie theatres. According to Jämes, the figures for August were double last year's, adding that the extreme heat alone can’t account for such record audiences.

”It’s difficult to tell the role played by the heat. We expected more in July, which was the best-selling month last year,” he added.

The most popular movie on the silver screen in Finland was Sex and the City 2, which packed in 325,000 patrons. Inception and Shrek the Final Chapter were next in line, having lured about 200,000 viewers into theatres.