Major's new production house aims to double revenue next year
In light of an expected 15-per-cent surge in revenue of the film industry this year, Talent 1 - Major Cineplex Group's new film-production subsidiary - anticipates Bt130 million in revenue in its first year of operation.
And it targets doubling that revenue next year to more than Bt260 million.
Last November, the country’s largest cinema operator took over Talent 1, a talent and event-management agency founded by Laddawan Rattanadilokchai, former managing director of GMM Grammy’s Bliss Publishing.
Major Cineplex now owns 80 per cent of its shares, with registered capital of Bt40 million, and the new subsidiary has been turned into a film-production house.
Laddawan, who has been retained as managing director since the takeover, said yesterday that Talent 1 would focus on film production, event organising and media in support of Major Cineplex.
The firm expects to produce and release two movies this year after investments of about Bt100 million, and next year will increase its output to three or four films.
“We will focus on three categories of movies – romance, thriller and drama – as we have 12 highly experienced and talented scriptwriters for this challenge,” she said.
Meanwhile, the company will organise events at Major’s cinemas and create media channels to communicate with target viewers. For instance, Talent 1 recently launched “Fast Entertainment”, a monthly lifestyle magazine both for Major’s 120,000 M-Genera-tion members and for sale to the general public. The magazine will provide news and information about new movies and superstars as well as special reports related to upcoming films.
Laddawan said the company could earn about Bt130 million in revenue this year. Of that, Bt90 million will come from film production and the rest from other business.
The company believes that it can double its revenue next year with four new movies, bringing in more than Bt260 million.
“This is a good year for the movie industry as a result of the increased number of screens in the Kingdom and the rise in popularity of Thai films,” she said.
Vicha Poolvaraluck, chairman of Major Cinema Group, said earlier that local film-makers had improved the quality of their movies to attract more ticket receipts, which now represent about 50 per cent of industry revenue, while major US film producers enjoy 35 per cent.
To cash in on this trend, Vicha said his company planned to add at least 50 screens in locations including Mega Bangna and Seacon Square 2 in Bangkok, valued at Bt500 million, on top of the 368 it operates now.
