‘Avengers: Endgame’ broke big in Malaysia’s box office with a whopping RM87m collected in more than 10 days of release

by AZALEA AZUAR / pic by BLOOMBERG

2019 has been a big year for movies from well-worn comic book-based blockbusters to domestic animated films that knocked off international fantasy sequels. Here are the movies that exhilarated Malaysian moviegoers.

The Marvel superhero film “Avengers: Endgame” tops the list. It broke big in Malaysia’s box office with a whopping RM87.12 million collected in just more than 10 days of release.

In only five days, the film managed to pass the RM40 million mark and received the biggest opening weekend of all time.

It is no surprise that this is the most anticipated film of the year, as well as Google’s top search in the film category.

Directed by the Russo brothers, the “Avengers: Endgame” crowned as the highest-grossing film earning US$2.8 billion (RM11.45 billion), knocking out James Cameron’s “Avatar” which earned US$760.5 million (including re-releases).

This is the first Marvel movie built around a female superhero and released in the same month as International Women’s Day in March as well as making the month’s biggest opening ever.

“Captain Marvel” — which stars Academy Award-winning actress Brie Larson — made US$455 million worldwide for its opening weekend. In fact, it is the sixth-biggest opening weekend internationally.

The movie remains a box office success despite being a target of online trolls which sought to lower its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Jumanji: The Next Level” which is a sequel to the 2017 film “Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle” collected RM37.15 million in the Malaysian box office. The film scored the biggest opening weekend in Malaysia for Sony Pictures. Positive responses from the previous film also contributed to its success.

“Frozen 2” enchanted the Malaysian box office with a whopping RM36.07 million. The film set a record of the highest-grossing opening for an animated film worldwide by making US$358 million.

“Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw” collected RM34.77 million in Malaysian box office. This is the first Hollywood non-superhero film to earn US$135 million in China. It stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in which it appeals to his massive fanbase. “Hobbs and Shaw” is also the only film in 2019 that managed to lead the international box office for four weeks.

As for the local film scene, animated films are stealing the spotlight with “BoBoiBoy Movie 2”, shattering a box office record of RM29.57 million. In only 26 days, the film successfully collected RM27.7 million at the local box office despite fierce competition.

The promotional and marketing efforts for the film have been successful and it has beaten popular globally-produced animated films.

“BoBoiBoy Movie 2”, which was directed by Nizam Razak, maintained its Top 5 position for four weeks. The film succeeded in dethroning last year’s “Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal” as the highest-grossing local animated film made RM26.19 million. The Les’ Copaque Production Sdn Bhd film earned a whopping RM25 million within three weeks.

It is hoping for a nomination for the Best Animated Feature category at the Academy Awards against 32 other films after begging Golden Wing Award for Best Animation of the Year category at the Animation Game Industry Annual Conference & Anime Beijing Awards 2019 in China last month and 2019 Animaze — Montreal International Animation Film Festival in Canada.

Although “Ejen Ali: The Movie” has a tough competition — as it has to compete with top Hollywood blockbusters — it still managed to exceed RM25 million in ticket sales.

The film managed to beat “Frozen2” as the No 1 film in the Malaysian box office charts and collected RM1.86 million during its opening. This film is not only popular locally, but there is even a demand from Indonesian fans to watch the film. Even an Indonesian fan flew all the way here just to watch the film. “Ejen Ali: The Movie” was scheduled to reach the Indonesian shores on Jan 1, 2020.

Malaysia’s first mixed-martial arts film “Sangkar” kicked off box office sales of RM9.58 million. The film, which is directed by renowned director Khabir Bhatia, has achieved ticket sales of RM4.5 million within five days.

“Sangkar” costs RM2.8 million to make and it has generated a lot of hype among Malaysian netizens. The film is co-produced by Astro Shaw Sdn Bhd, Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd, MM3 Entertainment and Infinitus Gold.

The horror-thriller film “Misteri Dilaila” achieved a ticket collection worth RM9.44 million. The film, which is directed by Syafiq Yusof, managed to achieve RM8.8 million within 11 days.

“Misteri Dilaila” is the first Malaysian film to feature two different endings as it was the director’s decision to create something new in the Malaysian cinema. To present the alternate endings concept, Syafiq chose the mystery thriller genre as it enables him to expand the storyline and characters in a more creative and dramatic aspect.