KUALA LUMPUR: The postponement of the screening of several international films in cinemas offers local films the opportunity to fill the gap.
National Film Development Corporation (Finas) chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib said that following discussions between Finas and the Malaysian Film Producers Association (MAFE), there are approximately seven to nine local films with the potential to achieve box office success.
"We can say that this is an opportunity because I have information from the cinema (industry) that there are several international film companies that have asked to postpone their films to next year.
"In discussions with cinema operators, it was found that apart from local films, there are also many films from Southeast Asia that can compete with Hollywood films," he told Bernama after his guest appearance on Bernama Radio's Jendela Fikir programme titled "Challenges and Future of Local Films in Cinemas".
To achieve this goal, Finas is working with MAFE to plan, analyse and identify local films that have the potential to become box office hits.
"We talk to the producers who will produce the films, especially about marketing, because we want them to announce the film two or three months before its release if possible.
"This is important to get the word out about the film because the process helps to attract audiences to the cinema and get reactions," he said.