Film agent banks on overseas blockbusters
Sahamongkolfilm International Group aims to see growth of 5-7 per cent this year mainly from ticket sales of overseas blockbusters rather than local film production, given the lacklustre domestic economic situation.
Avika Techaratanaprasert, vice president of marketing, told The Nation yesterday that the foreign-film line-up was considerably attractive for local moviegoers.
Both Sahamongkolfilm and its affiliate Mongkol Major will bring in about 50-70 films including "Gods of Egypt", "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies", "The Divergent Series: Allegiant", "Now You See Me 2", "The Space between Us", "Max Steel" and "Deepwater Horizon".
Besides Sahamongkolfilm and Mongkol Major, which together control more than 25 per cent of the film industry in Thailand, the slates of other distributors also remain strong with many superhero and sequel movies on the way. These include "Batman and Superman", "Suicide Squad", "Captain America 3: Civil War", "X-Men: Apocalypse", Sinister Six", "Deadpool", "Resident Evil 6" and "Independence Day: Resurgence".
To tackle the intense competition from its rivals with those key international titles, Sahamongkolfilm has classified its offerings into three categories to suit the varied demands of moviegoers.
Blockbusters must be available at all cinemas throughout the country, while niche films will target specific groups. Limited-edition films will be screened at only selected theatres.
"We’ve witnessed that consumer behaviour has become more sophisticated than in the past," Avika said.
This year will be challenging for local production houses because of fierce competition from international films amid weak domestic consumption. The company might cut its film production schedule from 10 movies to eight.
"In this tough situation, we need to make sure that each local film produced by us is profitable and attractive to viewers," she said.
The company’s revenue this year will be divided into 55 per cent from international films and 45 per cent from local movies.
The company believes that there is a chance to export Thai films but the market is still limited. Europe and the US have not recovered yet from economic recession, so her company will shift its efforts to the Asian market instead.
