Short answers, pulled from the story.
Erik the Viking was written and directed by Terry Jones. It premiered in Sweden on the 1st of September 1989, followed by the United States on the 22nd of September 1989, and the United Kingdom on the 29th of September 1989.
The film was inspired by Terry Jones's 1983 children's book The Saga of Erik the Viking. Jones has said the film's plot is completely different from the book.
Three cuts exist. The original cinema release ran 107 minutes. Jones cut it to 89 minutes for the VHS release. In 2006, Jones's son Bill produced a 75-minute Director's Son's Cut for DVD, with reordered scenes, tighter pacing, and a remixed and re-dubbed soundtrack.
Tom Hulce, the star of Amadeus, was originally set to play Erik. He withdrew from the film to pursue his stage career.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Erik the Viking 0 out of a possible 4 stars, calling it an utterly worthless exercise in waste and wretched excess, uninformed by the slightest spark of humor, wit or coherence.
Erik the Viking earned £845,436 in the United Kingdom. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50 percent based on reviews from 20 critics.