Cinema gets the blues

With only two Thai movies reaching Bt100 million at the box office this year and all the other local releases trailing far behind, Thailand’s film industry seems to be at something of an impasse. Even the two movies that were tipped to do well, “20 Mai Huajai Returns” (“Suddenly Twenty”) and “Pohnjakfah”(“A Gift”), both of which were released after the 30-day mourning period for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej had come to an end, failed to stir much interest. Little surprise then that filmmakers are looking to 2017 with a worried frown. 
Industry veteran and producer Visute Poolvoralaks, who also serves as the president of the Federation of National Film Association of Thailand, acknowledges that 2016 has been worse than 2015 but points out that we have seen bad years before and survived.
But even he acknowledges that 2017 risks being even harsher for Thai movies as hard-core Hollywood franchises, among them “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2”, “War for the Planet of the Apes”, “Alien: Covenant”, “Fast & Furious 8” and “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage”, in which Thai action superstar Phanom “Tony Jaa” Yeerum has a role, head to our screens.
“In 2017, Thai film will lose a bigger market share, dropping below the current 12 per cent,” says Visute, who is now busy with his new company T Moment after the closure of GTH Film Studios at the end of last year.
“However it’s unnecessary to beg audiences to watch more Thai movies. My hope is that filmmakers or producers will work hard and more carefully so that we have more attractive projects to offer moviegoers,” says the producer.
Local audience behaviour has changed a lot over the last few years. The young generation, traditionally the biggest audience, now prefers smartphone to screen. They update news and everything else through their Facebook feed and often decide whether to go and see new releases based on what the social networks have to say about them.
Ironically, these are the same feeds that Visute once said were behind the success of the top grossing film “Pee Mak Phrakahonong.”
Social media aside, Visute believes that the success of a movie depends on three factors: movie concept, the promotion and also the content.
“All three must be right if the movie is to be a success,” he says.
“And all these factors must be constantly updated especially in terms of the storytelling otherwise they will become outdated and appear boring.”
Visute acknowledges that film studios prefer to keep their plots and story lines secret to avoid others stealing their ideas. And their concerns are real. On at least one occasion when a studio has announced its project months in advance, a separate film with a similar concept or with the same actor has been released just a few weeks before, causing confusion and badly affecting profits.
Visute is prepared to talk a little about T Moment’s debut, saying only that it’s a comedy called “Oversize… Talai Phoong”, (“Oversize Cops”). It tells the story of four chubby cops whose weight prevents them from arresting a criminal and they are ordered to go on a diet. The film is slated for release in late March and T Moment has another two or three projects coming out within the next year. 
The breakaway GDH Film Studios also has three projects in the pipeline: a teenage film from the director of “Countdown,” Nattawut Poonpiriya, a horror flick from Sophon Sakdaphisit (“Laddaland” and “Fak Wai Nai Gai Thoe” (“The Swimmer”) and a romance from Vithaya Thongyooyong, who last entertained Thai cinephiles with “Baan Chan Talok Waikorn (Phor Sorn Wai)” (“The Little Comedian”) in 2010.
Sahamongkol Films and Five Star Entertainment are remaining faithful to their genres. The former will kick off 2017 with the action drama “Thongdee Funkhao”, which sees star boxer Buakhao Banchamek making his acting debut as Phraya Phichai Dabhak, a talented fighter in the Thon Buri period. 
Five Star sticks to teen horror with “Ruang Phee Me Yoo Wa” (“School Tales”), which was originally due for release in October.
Also due to hit the screen from M Pictures Studio is the comedy “Mr Hurt Muewang Undab Jeb” starring GDH regular Sunny Suwanmeth- anont as an arrogant professional tennis player who is heartbroken when his actress girlfriend ditches him and tries to win her back with help from the girl next door.
The picture isn’t any brighter |for independent films. Despite |some promising indies coming |out in 2016 including Pimpaka Towira’s “Maha Samut Lae Susan” (The Island Funeral), Anocha Suwichakornpong’s “Dao Khanong” (“By the Time It Gets Dark”) and Prabda Yoon’s “Rongram Tangdao” (“Motel Mist”), box office takings have been poor, with all three taking in less than Bt1 million. The exception was “Snap..Khae Dai Kidtueng”, which was released at the end of 2015 and earned Bt6 million. 
Producer Soros Sukhum says he’s not surprised at the lacklustre results. 
“Independent films have a limited audience. I keep telling directors that our work is to promote our films to attract viewers,” says the producer.
He agrees with Visute that it is becoming increasing difficult to market local movies. “With entertainment now so easily available on the smartphone, film fans think more carefully before buying a movie ticket. They will search for more information and read previews and reviews before watching the film. That makes it even harder for independent films,” he says. 
Soros, who produced “Dao Khanong” and “Motel Mist”, is hoping that new arthouse cinema Bangkok Screening Room, will make a difference in drawing audiences to indies. 
He adds that even though it’s too early to judge the success or otherwise of the new venue, arthouse cinemas should be a boon to the independent film circuit. Instead of competing with mainstream movies at multiplex cinemas, screening them in their own space means they can stay longer in cinemas.
“It would be good if we could fit these movies on the mobile screen. By that I don’t mean going for the streaming channels but physically making the film fit the smaller screen. We can’t figure out how to do it yet,” he says.
Among the indies due for release in 2017 is “Present Perfect: Khae Nee Kor Dee Laew” which was shot amidst the gorgeous scenery of Higashikawa in Hokkaido. The film tells the story of two Thai men who meet there and bond. The film will premiere at the World Film Festival of Bangkok, which runs from January 23 to February 1 and go on general release on February 2.