'Adnan Sempit' set to be top grossing local movie

 

ADNAN Sempit, the comedy about Mat Rempit with a vision, is on track to become the highest grossing local movie of all time.

The movie, directed by Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri, made RM5 million in just 11 days, a feat unheard of for a local movie.

The movie, which does not feature any big names, is expected to hit RM6 million in its third week.

Last year, two movies -- Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak and Geng Pengembaraan Bermula -- made RM6.1 million and RM6.2 million respectively.

However, it took both movies the entire cinema run of one month, to collect that amount.

Adnan Sempit has already created two new records for a local movie.

It holds the record for the biggest opening-day takings for a local movie at RM510,000.

It also holds the record for the biggest one-day collection for a local movie at RM950,000. It achieved this on its first Saturday screening.

At the rate the movie is going, it has a chance of achieving the impossible -- a box- office collection of RM8 million.

Many local film producers, including David Teo, had in the past predicted that their movies would make RM8 million at the box office.

Most managed to hit RM3 million and only a few made more than RM5 million.

Movies that made more than RM5 million include Sembilu 2, Lagi-Lagi Senario, Jangan Pandang Belakang, Cicakman, Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak and Geng Pengembaraan Bermula.

Although some movie critics panned the film, Adnan Sempit continues to get support from the audience.

Moviegoers have posted their comments about the movie in their blogs and entertainment forums on the Internet. Most recommended others to watch the movie. Some have even seen the movie several times.

Positive postings via FaceBook and Twitter have also helped to convince others to watch the movie in cinemas.

These "thumbs up" from moviegoers are the best promotion that money can't buy.

There is no doubt that film producers can spend a lot of money to promote their movies, but in many cases, bad reviews and negative comments and postings on blogs and entertainment forums, can kill their movies. Jin Notti and MySpy are just some of such examples.

Although major telcos had spent a lot on promotional advertisements in both the electronic and print media, Jin Notti and MySpy managed to collect only RM2.1 million and RM1.2 million respectively.

The only setback that will prevent Adnan Sempit from hitting the RM8 million mark is the cinema operators.

Like all local movies, it is protected under the government's compulsory screening rule for two weeks. Major cinemas must screen the movie in the bigger halls during the first week.

After that, they have the option to screen the movie in smaller halls if they can show proof that the movie is not drawing in the crowd.

However, after the two weeks, cinema operators can opt not to screen the movie, even if there is demand from moviegoers. This has occurred a few times in the past to movies like Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam, Geng Pengembaraan Bermula and the most recent, Senario The Movie 2 Beach Boys.

Cinema operators prefer to screeen Hollywood movies.

Last Thursday, a new local movie, Dua Jiwa Satu Hati, opened and occupied the bigger cinema halls, thus Adnan Sempit had to move to smaller halls.

Since it is compulsory for cinema operators to screen Dua Jiwa Satu Hati for two weeks, they might have to pull out Adnan Sempit to make way for new Hollywood and Chinese movies.

(Source: here)

Note: Anyone has watched this?