‘MILLIONS’ MAKING MILLIONS
The family drama “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” has become the highest-grossing Thai film of all time in The Philippines, distributor Westec Media claims.
The company, which released the film, does not quantify the receipts or the record. But there is little doubt of the film’s hit status across Asia. It has garnered THB1 billion (approximately $27 million) and achieved 10 million admissions, according to producer GDH559.
In Indonesia, where the film was released on May 15, it attracted 3.5 million admissions and became the highest grossing (non-local) Asian film in the country’s box office history. In Myanmar, following its release on May 31, has also become the highest-grossing Thai film ever recorded. It stands as the highest-grossing Thai film in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The heartwarming story follows a teenage university dropout (Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul), who quits his job to care for his ailing grandmother (Usha Seamkhum) to secure a large inheritance. Renowned for his work on “Bad Genius,” this film marks Pat Boonnitipat’s directorial debut in the family drama genre.
The film’s emotional depth has sparked a social phenomenon in Southeast Asia, with audiences flooding social media with tearjerking reactions. The response has been so overwhelming that SM cinemas in the Philippines began providing tissues to moviegoers, a testament to the movie’s profound impact. Currently in its fifth week, “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” continues to draw large crowds, maintaining its strong performance at the box office.
“How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” is set to release in Australia and New Zealand on July 18.
MICHAEL DOUGLAS TO BE GUEST OF HONOR OF DEAUVILLE FILM FESTIVAL’S 50TH EDITION
Michael Douglas will be the guest of honor of Deauville American Film Festival’s 50th edition which will take place Sept. 6-15 in the French Normandie town.
The actor, who was last in Deauville in 2020 to pay tribute to his father, Kirk Douglas, has attended the festival several times before, including in 1998 when his met Catherine Zeta-Jones who became his wife two years later. The Oscar-winning actor of “Wall Street” was celebrated at last year’s Cannes Film Festival with an honorary Palme d’Or. He was also back in Southern France this year during the TV festival Cannesseries where he presented the AppleTV+ show “Franklin” in which he plays the title, Benjamin Franklin.
Douglas is the first guest of honor announced for this upcoming edition of Deauville. The festival’s long time artistic director was suspended earlier this month following the publication of a bombshell investigative report that came in Mediapart. The piece included a string of allegations by former employees who reported to Barde at the PR firm Public Systeme Cinema.
FORTY FOOT EXPANDS
Irish-U.K. production company Forty Foot Pictures, which produced the Netflix hit “I Used to Be Famous,” has launched a co-production arm, hiring Searchlight U.K.’s former head of post production Diarmuid Hughes to lead new business and partnerships.
Hughes’ credits include Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Raine Allen Miller’s “Rye Lane.“ He has previously worked across production and post at Warner Bros., Big Talk, and Working Title.
“We want to capitalize on our unique position as a genuinely dual Irish/UK company and enable producers in either territory to get their projects over the line,” said Forty Foot founder/producer Collie McCarthy. “Co-producing with us will feel like a domestic partnership creatively whilst gaining access to another set of incentives, funding options and facilities. I’m delighted Diarmuid is going to spearhead it for us, he brings a wealth of industry experience and post production expertise to the team.”
Hughes added: “I’m thrilled to join Forty Foot Pictures at such a pivotal time. The opportunity to help drive the company’s growth alongside collaborating with talented producers both domestically and internationally is incredibly exciting.”
The addition of Hughes follows the hiring of development exec Lois Gration from Netflix last year to build out Forty Foot’s film and television slate. The company’s debut feature “I Used to Be Famous” starring Ed Skrein was Netflix’s fourth most watched film globally in its opening week in September 2022. Their next feature, Irish mockumentary “Fran The Man,” is currently in post-production.
COMER COMEBACK
National Theatre and Empire Street Productions announce that “Prima Facie,” the most watched National Theatre Live title to date, will return to U.K. cinemas from Sept. 12. The film is a 2022 recording of Jodie Comer’s one-woman performance of Suzie Miller’s stage play which has been watched by nearly half a million people worldwide.
Directed by Justin Martin (“Stranger Things: The First Shadow”), Comer plays a young, brilliant barrister who has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning.
The play has since become a global phenomenon, adapted into a novel by Miller, with the audiobook narrated by Comer. In Northern Ireland, new protocols have been implemented so that judges must now watch the film as part of their training for sexual assault cases. Comer received Olivier, Tony, WhatsOnStage, Evening Standard Theatre, and The Stage Debut Awards for her performance and the play itself won an Olivier award.
MARKETING
Allied Global Marketing, a marketing agency, has rolled out a dynamic brand experience across the U.K. featuring a 5×3 metre boombox to promote Netflix’s upcoming film, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which is set to release on Netflix on July 3.
These retro-styled, interactive boomboxes, located in Edinburgh (June 22), London (June 29 and 30) and Manchester (July 6), play iconic music from the original 1984 “Beverly Hills Cop” film, creating a nostalgic connection between the new movie and the classic 80s hit.
The new film sees Foley back on the beat. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy. It is directed by Mark Molloy from a screenplay written by Will Beall.
BBC CONTENT EXPANDS IN JAPAN
BBC Studios has expanded its content offering in Japan with the signing of three new supply deals, with Disney (covering Dlife & Disney Junior), NHK and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Animal Planet.
“Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs” will premiering in Japan on Animal Planet, and see Liz Bonnin investigate a mysterious dinosaur graveyard in Wyoming. “Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster” will air in Japan on NHK and Animal Planet. “A Perfect Planet” will air in Japan on Animal Planet. “Dinosaur Apocalypse” will premier in Japan on Animal Planet. “The Great British Bake Off S13” and “Junior Bake Off S3 and S4” will premiere in Japan on Dlife. Kids show “Hey Duggee S4” airs on Disney Junior.