Msian Film "Abang Adik" Becomes 1st Malaysian Film to Top Taiwan’s Box-Office
On 1 December, the award-winning film Abang Adik premiered in Taiwan and made history as the first Malaysian film to top Taiwan’s box office. In a matter of three days, it grossed NTD15 million (approximately RM2.2 million), beating out the previous weekend’s earnings.
According to China Press, the high demand for the film in Taiwan has even prompted movie distributors to add more showtimes as some moviegoers have even said they have watched it four times.
Speaking to Malay Mail, Taiping-born director Jin Ong said he cried tears of joy when he first found out, “It’s amazing, I’m so happy.” Abang Adik is his first feature film as director and he has previously produced numerous films such as Shuttle Life, In My Heart, and Miss Andy.
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“Wu Kang-ren has a huge following there. Before Abang Adik, he starred in several popular Netflix series, so everyone loves him. Abang Adik gave him his first nomination and win at the Golden Horse Awards so ecstatic fans were very supportive,” added Jin Ong.
He credited much of the film’s success to Taiwanese actor Wu Kang Ren, who stars as Abang, a speech and hearing-impaired older brother. Along with Malaysian co-star Jack Tan, they portray the characters Abang and Adi, who are undocumented orphans in present-day Malaysia who may be siblings.
The touching film exposes the hardships faced by the undocumented and impoverished in KL. The film is in Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, and sign language.
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As reported by The Star, Producer Angelica Lee said she was surprised at Abang Adik’s success in Taiwan as “no Malaysian film has achieved such success overseas”.
Abang Adik has made waves overseas at numerous film festivals. In May in Italy’s Udine, it was named best film and winner of the Golden Mulberry prize. Back in August, the film scored the top prize at the New York Asian Film Festival. In November, Wu claimed the Best Actor gong at the Golden Horse Awards for his role as a mute man.
Over in Japan at the Cinema at Sea – Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival, the film was the festival’s biggest winner with three prizes including the audience award, the jury award, and the best leading performance award, which went to actor Wu Kang-Ran.
For some reason, the film screened overseas first and will only hit Malaysian screens on 14 December. Here are the links for advance tickets:
Watch the trailer here:
Image credit: facebook.com/abangadikthemovie