Wongkamlao was so high

Wongkamlao, Mum Jokmok's broad parody of Thai high society and soap operas, debuted at No. 1 when it was released on July 1, according to the latest Box Office Mojo chart for Thailand.

The comedy overcame my doubts that it would top Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which dropped to No. 2 from its opening on top the previous week and the No. 3 release, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which also opened on July 1.

In a distant fourth was Pen-ek Ratanaruang's arthouse jungle thriller Nang Mai (Nymph).

Released by Sahamongkol Film International, Wongkamlao's strength came from opening on 131 screens, compared to Ice Age 3's 88 and Nang Mai's 46, though Transformers: ROTF still had the biggest hold with 188 screens.

Also, according to Thai media reports, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen broke the all-time box-office record in Thailand, earning 215 million baht, torpedoing Titanic which had stayed afloat with 213.3 million baht.

The July 9 release cycle was relatively light, with the French martial-arts action drama Banlieue 13 -- Ultimatum and the family-friendly fantasy The Secret of Moonacre being the wide releases that week. This weekend belongs to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Vying to outcharm Potter this coming week will be the new GTH teen romance Dear Galileo, as well as Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in Michael Mann's grainy Public Enemies.