Improved earnings sign of new dawn for Malaysian cinema
Tracing its history to the 1933 romance Laila Majnun, the nation’s film industry has faced setback after setback, since the golden ages of Malay cinema in the 1960s.
In more recent times, earnings have been on a downward trajectory, raking in just RM57.57 million in 2017. Five years earlier, the industry raked in RM97.29 million, according to the National Film Development Corporation (Finas).
However, in 2018, earnings jumped to RM170.40 million, a massive increase of nearly 200 percent compared to the year before.
Data on total gross earnings for local films last year is not yet available, but the jump in 2018 profits begs a question — is Malaysian cinema going through a resurgence?...
Tracing its history to the 1933 romance Laila Majnun, the nation’s film industry has faced setback after setback, since the golden ages of Malay cinema in the 1960s.
In more recent times, earnings have been on a downward trajectory, raking in just RM57.57 million in 2017. Five years earlier, the industry raked in RM97.29 million, according to the National Film Development Corporation (Finas).
However, in 2018, earnings jumped to RM170.40 million, a massive increase of nearly 200 percent compared to the year before.
Data on total gross earnings for local films last year is not yet available, but the jump in 2018 profits begs a question — is Malaysian cinema going through a resurgence?
A look at the list of releases in 2018 may help explain the turn of tides.
In 2018, the top-grossing local film was Munafik 2, directed by Syamsul Yusof (photo), the son of Malaysian film legend Yusof Haslam. It made RM37.74 million, which was about a third of the total ticket sales for local films that year.
Syamsul's brother Syafiq Yusof was behind the action-comedy film Abang Long Fadil 2. Both films were produced by Skop Productions, founded by their father.
The winning formula
What is the winning formula applied by Skop Productions? For starters, the production house invested in genres which were already popular among movie-goers in Malaysia.
The most popular genre was horror. In 2010 to 2018, horror films make up almost half of the top 10 top-grossing local films of the year.
Even so, none of the top local horror films came close to the takings of Munafik 2, making its success remarkable.
The difference, filmmaker Al Jafree Md Yusof said, was the more sophisticated use of technology.
Al Jafree said production quality of the top films of 2018 far exceeded earlier top films, even though the budget was comparatively similar.
For example, he said, in 2006, one of the top films was Metrowealth Production’s Remp-it, an action film on the lives of motorcycle street racers. It took RM4 million at the box office, on a budget of RM2 million.
In contrast, Munafik 2 had a production cost of RM2.8 million but sold tickets worth more than 10 times that amount.
Exposure to better cinema
Al Jafree said exposure to high-quality international films pushed the audience to demand more of local films, and they appreciated it whenever Malaysian filmmakers stepped up.
“People can see how the technology is used (in films like Munafik 2). There is now more exposure to international films, like Star Wars and superhero films which use a lot of computer-generated imagery (CGI),” he said.
But technology is only part of the equation, he said. Hantu Kak Limah 2, a horror-comedy which took home RM36 million on a budget of just RM1.2 million, drew in crowds because of its effective comedic writing using familiar tropes.
“It’s like the P Ramlee films of the 1960s. The comedy used is close to the Malay community. The filmmakers (of Hantu Kak Limah 2) are unique in that they found a way to tell the story that relates closely to the Malay audience,” he said.
Technology continues to play a key role in the film industry resurgence, he said, with more and more animated feature film releases.
Last year, three animated films, Ejen Ali: The Movie, Upin Ipin: The Lone Gibbon Kris and Boboiboy Movie 2, did well at the box office but did not earn big bucks because of their high costs.
Ejen Ali, which is screening in cinemas, cost RM6.5 million — more than three times the cost of Munafik 2. It has sold RM25 million worth of tickets to date.
Upin Ipin: The Lone Gibbon Kris, however, cost a whopping RM20 million to make. It took RM26.2 million at the box office.
International films still the preferred choice
Although local movies have been getting more attention lately, international films, especially Hollywood blockbusters, still dominated the Malaysian movie market.
From 2012 to 2018, earnings for local films hardly reached 20 percent of the total box office collection while the rest of it went to international titles.
Al Jafree said Malaysian filmmakers need to learn how international films were built on franchises, developing a strong fan base through sequels.
For example, he said, the top-grossing films of last year worldwide were animated film Frozen 2 and the final film of the Marvel superhero franchise, Avengers: Endgame.
“These are all great films and we cannot deny the fact that there are indeed massive followers,” he said.
Looking at the top-grossing local films, it seems that Malaysian production houses and filmmakers are catching on. For example, Munafik 2, Abang Long Fadhil 2 and Hantu Kak Limah 2 were all sequels.
Nurturing a creative industry eco-system
Building a franchise of films is just one way to ensure sustainability. Kamil, who helmed Finas from 2014 to 2016, believes more can be done to nurture Malaysia’s creative industry eco-system.
While helming Finas, he said, he developed a plan for capacity-building in the industry, by providing funding for training, marketing and production with a long-term view of developing an industry which could boost the Malaysian economy.
“Take Korean movies as an example. People hardly knew about Korea before this, but because their entertainment business was such a hit, people started to know about Korea and this also boosts their tourism sector.
“Through this system, Malaysia filmmakers can bring a positive impact to the Malaysian film industry and make Malaysia a well-known country for foreigners,” he added.
However, he said, his plans did not materialise and the government continued on the same path of subsidising the entertainment industry through production grants.
Jafree believes in film education. He said countries like the Philippines have a more successful local film industry because the audience was educated in the language of movies, through which they developed a love for cinema.
It is this love of cinema which Jafree hopes to inculcate through his travelling movie collective — Titiwangsa Film Community (Komfit).
Komfit screens local films to audiences across the country and invites local directors to speak after the screening and discuss the process of production with the community.
His is one of several small collectives across the country bringing people together to share the love of movies, and build a greater appreciation for local and regional cinema.
When Komfit started, he said, each screening was attended by 10 or 20 people. These days, he said, the number is close to 300, signalling a new dawn for the Malaysian film industry.
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