Assessing Malaysia’s creative industry: progress and policies in the case of the film industry
Abstract
This paper explores the performance of local movies at the Malaysian box-office circuit to ascertain and analyse the extent of the reported improvements of the sector – it is hoped that the findings can provide a more objective assessment of the state of local films and the policies that have been aimed at cultivating improvements in the sector. Overall, the findings indicate that the local movie industry is still a long way from establishing a strong foothold even in its own domestic market.
Article in English.
Malaizijos kūrybinių industrijų vertinimas: kino industrijos pažanga ir politika
Santrauka
Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos vietos kino filmų charakteristikos Malaizijos komercinių įmonių atvejais, siekiant nustatyti ir išanalizuoti patobulinimų, apie kuriuos buvo oficialiai paskelbta, sektoriaus mastą – tikimasi, kad gauti duomenys gali suteikti kur kas objektyvesnį vietos kino filmų įvertinimą ir apibrėžti politiką, nukreiptą į šio sektoriaus patobulinimus. Apibendrinti duomenys rodo, kad vietos kino industrijai reikia dar daug nuveikti, kad įsitvirtintų net savo vietos rinkoje.
Reikšminiai žodžiai: komercinė įmonė, kultūros politika, užsienio kino filmai, vietos kino filmai, Malaizijos kino industrija.
Keyword : box-office, cultural policy, foreign movies, local movies, Malaysia film industry
How to Cite
Yoong Hon, L., & Lim Sheau Yen, R. (2019). Assessing Malaysia’s creative industry: progress and policies in the case of the film industry. Creativity Studies, 12(2), 224-245. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2019.7978
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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King, T. (2007). Does film criticism affect box office earnings? Evidence from movies released in the U.S. in 2003. Journal of Cultural Economics, 31(3), 171-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-007-9041-z
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Lee, F. L. F. (2008). Hollywood movies in East Asia: examining cultural discount and performance predictability at the box office. Asian Journal of Communication, 18(2), 117-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/01292980802021855
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Raj, S. J., & Sreekumar, R. (2013). Desi turns malay: indian cinema redefined as crossover in the Malaysian market. In S. Khorana (Ed.), Crossover cinema: cross-cultural film from production to reception. Series: Routledge Advances in Film Studies (pp. 153-166). New York and London: Routledge.
Richeri, G. (2016). Global film market, regional problems. Global Media and China, 1(4), 312-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436416681576
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Vany, De A., & Walls, W. D. (1999). Uncertainty in the movie industry: does star power reduce the terror of the box office? Journal of Cultural Economics, 23(4), 285-318. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007608125988
Vogel, H. L. (2011). Entertainment Industry economics: a guide for financial analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Walls, W. D. (2009). The market for motion pictures in Thailand: rank, revenue, and survival at the box office. International Journal of Business and Economics, 8(2), 115-131.
Wie Boon, S. (2016). Lights, camera, Malaysia: why the Malaysian film scene has been in a slump, yet everyone wants to be a director. Esquire. Retrieved from https://www.esquire.my/culture/We-delve-into-the-state-of-the-local-film-industry
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XE. (1995–2019). XE currency charts: USD to MYR. Retrieved from https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=MYR&view=2Y
Yoong Hon, L. (2014). Experts versus audience’s opinions at the movies: evidence from the North American box-office. Marketing Bulletin 25. Retrieved from http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/V25/MB_V25_A1_Hon_FINAL.pdf
Arteri. (2018). National Creative Industry Policy (DIKN). Retrieved from https://www.arteri.com.my/learn/policies/dikn/
Aziz, J., Hashim, H., & Ibrahim, F. (2014). Malaysian film industry in transformation: challenges and potential. Malaysian Journal of Communication, 30(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.17576/JK-MJC-2014-3001-03
Aznam Shah, Sh. (2017). Local films struggle at the box office. The Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved from https://themalaysianreserve.com/2017/10/10/local-films-struggle-box-office/
Barker, Th., & Yuen Beng, L. (2017). Making creative industries policy: The Malaysian case. Kajian Malaysia, 35(2), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.21315/km2017.35.2.2
Begum, M. (2016). Finas Revises Skim Wajib Tayang Star2.com. Retrieved from https://www.star2.com/entertainment/2016/03/31/finas-revises-skim-wajib-tayang/
bnm.gov.my. (2018). Economic developments in 2018. Retrieved from http://www.bnm.gov.my/files/publication/ar/en/2018/cp01.pdf
Box Office Mojo. (2019a). Box office Mojo. Retrieved from https://www.boxofficemojo.com/
Box Office Mojo. (2019b). China yearly box office. Retrieved from https://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/china/yearly/
Box Office Mojo. (2019c). Malaysia yearly box office. Retrieved from https://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/malaysia/yearly/
Brody, R. (2019). The future of French cinema. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-future-of-french-cinema
Chee Kit, L., & Weng Chuan, L. (2012). Hollywood films and local films: a quantitative study on Malaysian young generations’ preference. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/6125886/Hollywood_Films_and_Local_Films_A_Quantitative_Study_on_Ma-laysian_Young_Generations_Preference
Cohen, R. (1993). France and Spain impose quotas. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/22/movies/france-and-spain-impose-quotas.html
Crane, D. (2014). Cultural globalization and the dominance of the american film industry: cultural policies, national film industries, and transnational film. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 20(4), 365-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2013.832233
Daniel, J. (2013). Iron Man 3 execs “Changed film for Chinese audience” by adding four minutes to the film with Chinese actors. Mail online. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324077/Iron-Man-3-execs-changed-film-Chinese-audience-adding-4-minutes-Chinese-actors.html
FIMI. (2017). FIMI. Retrieved from http://www.filminmalaysia.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=605
Finas. (2019a). Corporate info. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/en/introduction/
Finas. (2019b). Data of cinema admission by language. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/en/industry-information/cinema-admission-by-language/
Finas. (2019c). Malaysian box office. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/en/malaysian-box-office/
Finas. (2019d). Top 50 feature film. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/en/industry-information/top-50-feature-film/
Finas. (2016). Finas. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/
Finas. (2018). Malaysian annual reports, 1983–2016. Retrieved from https://www.finas.gov.my/en/annual-report/
Hopewell, J. (2013). Hollywood stymied as Europe sticks with its limits on film and TV. Variety. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2013/film/global/hollywood-stymied-as-europe-sticks-with-its-limits-on-film-and-tv-1200497446/
Hoskins, C., & McFadyen, S. (1991). International marketing strategies for a cultural service. International Marketing Review, 8(2). Retrieved from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfp-lus/10.1108/02651339110145117
Insun, Ch. (2018). Risk or chance: “The liberalization of foreign film imports” and its impacts in Korea and Japan. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 24(1), 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2015.1116525
Jäckel, A. (2007). The inter/nationalism of French film policy. Modern & Contemporary France, 15(1), 21-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639480601115268
Kamal, H. A. (2016). What’s wrong with local movies? New straits times. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/01/120115/whats-wrong-local-movies
King, T. (2007). Does film criticism affect box office earnings? Evidence from movies released in the U.S. in 2003. Journal of Cultural Economics, 31(3), 171-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-007-9041-z
Koay, A. (2014). Malaysia’s ever-growing entertainment industry. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/tv/news/2014/07/31/evergrowing-industry/
Lee, F. L. F. (2008). Hollywood movies in East Asia: examining cultural discount and performance predictability at the box office. Asian Journal of Communication, 18(2), 117-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/01292980802021855
Lepore, S. M. (2015). The biggest low-budget hits of 2015. New York Daily News. Retrieved from https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/2015-low-budget-hits-article-1.2359590
Malek, N. H. A. (2019). Malaysian movies gross over RM150 m in 2018. Malaysian reserve. Retrieved from https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/01/04/malaysian-movies-gross-over-rm150m-in-2018/
Mitkus, T., & Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė, V. (2017). Promoting competitiveness in creative industries: changes and trends of Lithuanian film industry in 21st century. Creativity Studies, 10(1), 14-25.
mpaa.org. (2018). 2018 THEME report. Retrieved from https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/up-loads/2019/03/MPAA-THEME-Report-2018.pdf
Ortman, Ch. (2019). New report: global theatrical and home entertainment market reached $96.8 billion in 2018. News. Retrieved from https://www.mpaa.org/press/new-report-global-theatrical-and-home-entertainment-market-reached-96-8-billion-in-2018/
Oxford Economics. (2013). The economic contribution of the film and television industries in Malaysia. Retrieved from https://www.mpa-i.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Msia_2013.pdf
Palansamy, Y. (2016). Finas DG calls for review of Putrajaya’s mandatory screening policy. Malay mail. Retrieved from https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2016/07/10/finas-dg-calls-for-review-of-putrajayas-mandatory-screening-policy/1158891#QwT4AX02vyVjV6GY.97
Pang, L. (2005). Copying Kill Bill. Social Text, 23(2), 133-153. https://doi.org/10.1215/01642472-23-2_83-133
Parc, J. (2017). The effects of protection in cultural industries: the case of the Korean film policies. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 23(5), 618-633. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2015.1116526
Raj, S. J., & Sreekumar, R. (2013). Desi turns malay: indian cinema redefined as crossover in the Malaysian market. In S. Khorana (Ed.), Crossover cinema: cross-cultural film from production to reception. Series: Routledge Advances in Film Studies (pp. 153-166). New York and London: Routledge.
Richeri, G. (2016). Global film market, regional problems. Global Media and China, 1(4), 312-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436416681576
Rosnan, H., & Abdul Aziz, Z. D. (2012). Film business in Malaysia: challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(12), 198-202.
Scott, A. J. (2000). French Cinema: economy, policy and place in the making of a cultural-products industry. Theory, Culture & Society, 17(1), 1-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/02632760022050988
The Economist. (2019). Hollywood goes global: bigger abroad. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/business/2011/02/17/bigger-abroad
US Inflation Calculator. (2019). Consumer price index data from 1913 to 2019. Retrieved from https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/consumer-price-index-and-annual-percent-changes-from-1913-to-2008/
Vany, De A., & Walls, W. D. (1996). Bose-Einstein dynamics and adaptive contracting in the motion picture industry. The Economic Journal, 106(439), 1493-1514. https://doi.org/10.2307/2235197
Vany, De A., & Walls, W. D. (1999). Uncertainty in the movie industry: does star power reduce the terror of the box office? Journal of Cultural Economics, 23(4), 285-318. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007608125988
Vogel, H. L. (2011). Entertainment Industry economics: a guide for financial analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Walls, W. D. (2009). The market for motion pictures in Thailand: rank, revenue, and survival at the box office. International Journal of Business and Economics, 8(2), 115-131.
Wie Boon, S. (2016). Lights, camera, Malaysia: why the Malaysian film scene has been in a slump, yet everyone wants to be a director. Esquire. Retrieved from https://www.esquire.my/culture/We-delve-into-the-state-of-the-local-film-industry
Wyatt, E., Cieply, M., & Barnes, B. (2012). U.S. Scrutinizes Hollywood Deals in China. International Herald tribune. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/read/1P2-36284803/u-s-scrutinizes-hollywood-deals-in-china
XE. (1995–2019). XE currency charts: USD to MYR. Retrieved from https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=MYR&view=2Y
Yoong Hon, L. (2014). Experts versus audience’s opinions at the movies: evidence from the North American box-office. Marketing Bulletin 25. Retrieved from http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/V25/MB_V25_A1_Hon_FINAL.pdf