Outstanding success of Hungarian film Semmelweis captures US magazine’s attention

The film titled Semmelweis has not only captured the hearts of Hungarian viewers but also the attention of the US magazine, Variety.

The film was directed by Lajos Koltai. He worked on the piece with a spectacular crew of Hungarian filmmakers. Their work was rewarded with outstanding success and international recognition. Semmelweis‘ viewing numbers are still going up at a steady pace, and they don’t seem to dwindle at all.

The well-deserved recognition

The film has garnered around 280,000 viewers since its premiere on November 30, 2023. It’s not the most watched Hungarian film of the last year, but rather of the last five years. Not only has it set a record for viewership, but it also brought in record revenue, surpassing HUF 600 million (EUR 1.5 million) in box office earnings. The film maintained its position in the top 3 of the cinema success list for 9 weeks and it’s still going strong.

The outstanding success of the film caught the attention of the Variety magazine too, who have dedicated a whole article to discussing the film. This success is significant, especially considering that one day after the release of the Variety article, data from the Association of Film Distributors revealed that Semmelweis had already reached over 290,400 views.

The film

Semmelweis is a period biopic about the famous physician who later became known as the saviour of mothers. There are already two other films made about this historical figure, but perhaps this one takes the crown. It’s set in 19th-century Vienna, portraying the life of Ignác Semmelweis, the doctor who introduced antiseptic procedures in hospitals in his fight against puerperal fever.