KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Hollywood may have brought the franchises, but Asian films have delivered many of Malaysia’s biggest box-office surprises of 2026, from South Korean zombie thrillers and Chinese sleeper hits to home-grown productions.
While Hollywood releases such as Obsession, Backrooms and Project Hail Mary drew attention alongside established franchise films, titles from across Asia repeatedly topped the Malaysian box office.
Throughout the first seven months of 2026, regional films outperformed several highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Hollywood releases that had been expected to lead both global and Malaysian charts.
‘Colony’ and ‘Dear You’ lead the charge
Leading the trend is South Korea’s Colony, which became Malaysia’s highest-grossing film of 2026 after collecting more than RM30.6 million locally.
Since opening on May 22, director Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller has also overtaken Train to Busan as the highest-grossing South Korean film ever released in Malaysia.
It remained at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks despite competition from major Hollywood releases such as Masters of the Universe and Disclosure Day.
China’s Dear You has enjoyed similar success since its nationwide release on June 18.
After crossing RM15 million, it became the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Malaysia in 2026.
Malaysia is also the film’s strongest overseas market outside China, with director Lan Hongchun’s sleeper hit topping the local box office for two consecutive weeks ahead of Toy Story 5 and Supergirl.
Asian films started the year strongly
Asian cinema’s strong local run began early in the year, with Ng Yuen-fai and Jack Lai’s Back to the Past helping to set the pace.
Released on December 31, 2025, the film gained momentum during the first two months of 2026 and eventually surpassed RM15 million at the Malaysian box office.
The stars of Hong Kong film ‘Back to the Past’ visited Kuala Lumpur in January following the film’s strong reception in Malaysia. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
The momentum continued during the Chinese New Year period, with Yuen Woo-ping’s Blades of the Guardian and Matt Lai’s Malaysian-Singaporean production Ah Beng vs Liang Popo both earning millions.
The two titles were among Malaysia’s highest-grossing Chinese New Year films of 2026.
Indian cinema also performed strongly, with Dhurandhar: The Revenge opening in Malaysia on March 19.
According to its local distributor, it is the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in Malaysia in 2026.
More recently, Tamil-language film Jana Nayagan stormed the local box office by collecting RM3 million in advance ticket sales before its nationwide release on July 23.
By July 26, it remained at No. 1 ahead of titles such as The Odyssey, Minions & Monsters and Moana.
Malaysian productions gain ground
Malaysian productions have matched the strong regional showing, with several local films enjoying impressive runs in 2026.
Leading the pack is Tarung: Unforgiven, the highest-grossing local film of the year so far with RM23.3 million.
It held the No. 1 position for three consecutive weeks in May, outperforming Mortal Kombat 2 and Michael during that period.
‘Tarung: Unforgiven’ is Malaysia’s highest-grossing local film of 2026 so far. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Other local successes include Polong, which grossed RM15.3 million, and Libang Libu, which earned RM14.16 million.
Their performances underline the growing appeal of Malaysian films among local audiences.
Better storytelling draws audiences
Industry figures who spoke to Malay Mail attributed the growing interest in Asian cinema to stronger storytelling, improved cinematography and higher production values.
Astro Shaw head Raja Jastina Raja Arshad said these improvements were increasingly reflected in box-office results.
“I definitely think the quality of storytelling, cinematography and overall production value has improved, and you can also see that reflected in the box office performance.”
Astro Shaw head Raja Jastina Raja Arshad (left) and Malaysian actor Bront Palarae both see Asian cinema growing in quality and appeal. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
She noted that while Hollywood films once dominated cinema charts, Asian and local productions now frequently occupy the top three positions.
“Hollywood films that perform strongly at the box office are often established franchise titles, while new intellectual properties are not performing as strongly as they did in the past.”
Malaysian actor Bront Palarae, who has worked across Southeast Asia, said the region’s success came from telling authentic stories that connected with audiences.
He said Thailand, Indonesia and, to a certain extent, Singapore had managed to strike that balance.
Malaysia, he added, was beginning to make similar progress through a new generation of writers working across television commercials and feature films.
Acclaimed Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who recently starred in the Malaysian film Mother Bhumi, also believes Asian cinema is gaining international recognition.
“Yes, definitely,” she told Malay Mail.
“I feel Asian cinema has become much more internationally influential over the years.
“Whether it’s China, Malaysia, Korea, Japan or Thailand, each country now has filmmakers with very distinctive artistic voices.”
She added that many Asian films continued to preserve their cultural identity and emotional depth while reaching audiences around the world.
Veteran Malaysian actress and acting coach Pearlly Chuah said Hollywood tended to emphasise commercial entertainment, while Southeast Asian filmmakers focused more on authentic and independent storytelling.
“The uniqueness comes from our culture and reality.
“Many people in the West are fascinated by mysticism and the occult.
“In Malaysia and throughout the Malay Archipelago, these beliefs are often simply part of everyday life.
“They’re not treated as fantasy but as lived experiences,” she added.
Veteran Malaysian theatre actress Pearlly Chuah and acclaimed Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (left), who made her Malaysian film debut in ‘Mother Bhumi’, say Asian cinema continues to grow while retaining qualities that distinguish it from Hollywood. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
More regional films, but barriers remain
More Asian films are reaching Malaysian cinemas through distributors such as Antenna Entertainment, Suraya Films, GSC Cinemas, TGV Cinemas and Astro Shaw.
However, many regional titles still do not receive local theatrical releases even when comparable films have found box-office success.
Distributors say audience demand remains the deciding factor.
The strong appetite for international blockbusters, particularly Hollywood releases, can make it more difficult for Asian films to secure distribution.
Jastina pointed to Korean cinema as an example.
Although selected Korean films receive theatrical releases in Malaysia, many still struggle to find distributors.
She said the popularity of Korean dramas on streaming platforms had overshadowed interest in Korean films, making cinemas less likely to screen them widely.
Even so, the range of regional films reaching Malaysia is slowly widening.
Less conventional titles such as Pakistan’s Zombeid and Vietnam’s Phi Phong have recently secured Malaysian releases, despite attracting relatively limited audiences.
Thai and Indonesian films remain among the most commonly released regional titles in Malaysia and continue to gain traction among local moviegoers.
Recent examples include Thailand’s The Undertaker 2 and Indonesia’s Jangan Buang Ibu.
Vietnamese feature ‘Phi Phong: The Blood Demon’ and Pakistani feature ‘Zombeid’ were among the regional films released in Malaysian cinemas earlier in 2026. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Hollywood regains ground
Hollywood releases have begun regaining momentum as the second half of 2026 gets underway, with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey among the major titles drawing audiences.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, released on July 30, also attracted large crowds and prompted exhibitors to increase the number of daily screenings.
Even so, the year has shown that Asian films, including Malaysian productions, can compete alongside Hollywood blockbusters and command sustained interest from local audiences.
