GDH 559’s How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, already the biggest film at the Thai box office in 2024, has now surpassed 2 million admissions in Indonesia, making it the second biggest Asian title at the Indonesian box office of all time.
The family drama hit the milestone on May 27 after 13 days on release through Indonesian distributor Falcon Pictures.
It is now the biggest Thai film, surpassing Thai-Korean horror The Medium’s 700,000 admissions in 2021, and the second biggest Asian film in Indonesia, only after Korean supernatural thriller Exhuma, which scored 2.6 million admissions earlier this year.
Given the momentum, Falcon is optimistic that How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies will overtake Exhuma and set further records. The film received 303 screenings when it opened on May 15, which recorded nearly 90% occupancy. This, along with instant word-of-mouth, sparked a wide expansion and the feature was given 3,514 screenings on May 27, accounting for 35.8% of daily showing – the most for any title on release. Major cinema chains including Cinema XXI, CGV and Cinepolis are programming the Thai film.
“It’s a phenomenal case with strong buzz,” said Frederica of Falcon Pictures. “Viewers have changed substantially post-Covid. They’re looking for value for money. Pre-promotion and creating buzz is very important, with lots and lots of videos. We filmed beautiful memories with influencers, cinephiles, celebrities and general audiences after screenings.”
Frederica explained that Indonesian cinema is getting stronger, but the local box office is primarily dominated by horror titles, which makes the success of this family drama even more exceptional.
Recent local horror hits include KKN Di Desa Penari, which almost hit 10 million admissions in 2022, its prequel Badarawuhi Di Desa Penari on around 4 million admissions and Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari at around 5.5 million admissions, both from this year.
Falcon Pictures’ previous blockbuster hits include Warkop DKI Reborn: Part 1, which recorded 6.8 million admissions in 2016; Dilan 1990, which generated 6.3 million in 2018; and Miracle In Cell No. 7, reaching 5.8 million in 2022.
How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is directed by Pat Boonnitipat and stars popular Thai singer Putthipong Assaratanakul (aka Billkin) as a young man who quits his job to assume the role of a devoted grandson for his dying grandmother. However, it is not out of love but for a substantial inheritance worth millions. Produced by GDH 559, international sales are handled by WME Independent.
It opens today (May 29) in the Philippines (Westec Media) and on May 30 in Laos (M Pictures), Malaysia (Golden Screen) and Singapore (Golden Village Pictures); followed by Vietnam (Blue Lantern) on June 7, Cambodia (Westec Media) on June 18 and Taiwan (Catchplay) on June 21. It has also been picked up for Australia and New Zealand (Westec Media), China (Teamer Media), Hong Kong (Intercontinental) and South Korea (NK Contents).
