How Malaysia and Singapore’s Film Industries, Spotlighted by Mainland China’s Golden Horse Awards Boycott, Are Getting a Boost1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhen the Malaysian computer-animated children’s adventure Upin & Ipin: The Lone Gibbon Kris was released in April last year, it beat Disney’s Incredibles 2 to become the Southeast Asian country’s highest grossing animation of all time.
A year earlier the country’s box office for domestic films broke the 100 million ringgit (US$24.5 million) barrier for the first time, with 55 local productions generating 170 million ringgit in ticket sales. That was an impressive three-fold increase over 2017, which saw domestic films bring in 57 million ringgit.
Malaysia’s box office has long been dominated by Hollywood imports, despite a mandatory scheme that requires cinemas to screen local or joint productions for a minimum of 14 consecutive days. Still, the figures are promising and local filmmakers are increasingly being offered greater support.
Photo Credit: Film still of ‘A Land Imagined’; Akanga Film Asia
