Titans clash with truckers at Thai box office

Clash of the Titans ruled the Thai box office last weekend, pulling in more than $1 million (about 32 million baht) in earnings, according to Box Office Mojo. The quest of Sam Worthington's god-man Perseus was no doubt helped by higher ticket prices for the 3D showings on some of the 125 screens.

Liam Neeson bellowing "RELEASE THE KRAKEN" cut into the business of the No. 2 movie, the local road-trip comedy Saranae Siblor (สาระแนสิบล้อ), about a comical group on an adventure in a 10-wheel truck. It's the sophomore feature from Sahamongkol and Lucks Film by the crew of comedians from a reality-TV show. It earned $602,198 (about 19 million baht), which wouldn't have been too shabby except that last year's wildly popular Saranae movie opened at No. 1 and made bank with 50 million baht in earnings its first weekend.

The top five is filled out with the previous weekend's No. 1, the Dreamworks 3D animated How to Train Your Dragon.

Phranakorn's battle epic Bang Rajan 2 was in fourth while Sahamongkol's "monks-with-guns" crime drama Nak Prok (Shadow of the Naga) was in fifth.

Opening in cinemas this week are the breakdancing drama Big Boy, which opened on Tuesday's Chakri Memorial Day holiday, and the historical epic Kon Thai Ting Pandin (The Edge of the Empire) opening on Saturday. Coming on Tuesday next week, the start of the Songkran New Year's holiday, is the horror thriller 9 Wat (Secret Sunday).

Theater revenues could take a hit from Thailand's turbulent political situation. This past week, red-shirt protesters blocked the Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok's shopping-mall district, prompting the closure of the Siam Paragon and CentralWorld malls, homes to the city's biggest multiplexes. To try and restore order, the embattled government has imposed a state of emergency, which could end up effecting entertainment venues.