The Re-Emergence of the Thailand Movie Industry in Hong Kong [Next Thai movie: Long Weekend, June 6!]

If your only exposure to Thailand movies is Ong Bak, well you have been missing out the past couple of years. Once famous for action, horror films have replaced them and has injected new life into Hong Kong's box office and into Thailand's movie industry. You only have to look at the most recent weekend to see how.

Pee Mak Phra Khanong Hong Kong poster (พี่มากพระโขนง)

When we think of foreign hits in HK, we consider India's 3 Idiots, Taiwan's You Are the Apple of My Eye, France's Intouchables and a slew of Japanese films as being the standouts, but a familiar face is trying to return to its former glory and went in the right direction this weekend.

The success of Pee Mak Phra Khanong's opening weekend brings to mind how Thailand went from being an action powerhouse to a horror warehouse.

Ong Bak delivered outstanding results in HK, making $1.3m in 2004. HK was one of Ong Bak's biggest territories and grossed more than the UK, Australia, Italy and Mexico, territories which traditionally gross more than the HK market.

Ong Bak 2 opened on New Year's Day 2009 but only made $439,000 on opening weekend. It fell 80% in week 2 and it finished with $672,000, less than half of Ong Bak's gross.

Fearing a total flop, Ong Bak 3 did not get picked up by a distributor in HK and Thailand pretty much layed low for a while until 2011.

In 2011, Laddaland got a release in Hong Kong. It opened on September 1, 2011 and it came in 3rd with $183,673. It was the biggest opener of that weekend and signaled the start of a revival for the Thailand movie industry. It fell hard after that and left Hong Kong with $338,247, a pretty good sum for a flailing movie industry in HK at the time.

While unaccustomed with a horror movie becoming a hit in HK, Thailand quickly adapted and they sent out 407 Dark Flight for release with the HK distributor setting the date for April 19, 2012. It also opened in 3rd place and was the biggest opener of the weekend. It grossed $190,410 and had the 2nd best PSA out of all wide releases that week. As The Avengers set records left and right, 407 Dark Flight disappeared but not before exiting with $366,934, above what Laddaland made.

The next horror release came from I Miss You in September 2012 but it failed to click as it made only $119,812 on opening weekend and was the 3rd best opener that week. Panasia/Golden Harvest was hoping for magic a 2nd time with the similar release date to Laddaland but it was up against some tough competition in The Thieves and Intouchables. It faded with $224,255 and it was back to Panasia to regroup.

The start of 2013 came with another Thai horror in 3 AM. It got the biggest release for a Thai horror movie with 31 screens but viewers were not in the mood for a horror at the time with the New Year holidays ending and it opened in 7th with $122,058. It snuck away with $251,772, better than I Miss You but a disappointment overall.

9-9-81 rounded the Thai horror films with a February 28, 2013 release date. It didn't amount to much and grossed the least out of the 5 horror movies.

Pee Mak Phra Khanong seems to have righted the ship with it grossing nearly $250,000 this weekend. It will break through as the only Thai horror film to make over $400,000 and it has a chance of $500,000 with all the great reviews. Could this be the next film industry to really make a breakthrough in HK? It has the tools, now to find that elusive film that can crossover to HK audiences...

Oh, and when is the next Thai film coming out? Safe bet will be September 5, 2013 June 6, 2013 (Long Weekend confirmed for release!).