Thai audiences charmed by romances in 2010

Once again, GTH made the No. 1 Thai movie at the box office. Media giant GMM Grammy's movie studio followed up the success of 2009's Bangkok Traffic (Love) Story with the South Korean travel romance Guan Muen Ho (Hello Stranger), earning 131 million baht.

That was followed by another youth-oriented romance, Sahamongkol's Sing Lek Lek Thee Riak Wa … Ruk (First Love), the sweet story of an awkward high-school girl who goes from ugly duckling to beauty queen. It was a surprisingly sweet summer sleeper hit that gave Guan Muen Ho a run for its money.

Here's the top 11 Thai films at the box office in 2010:

1. Guan Meun Ho (กวน มึน โฮ, Hello Stranger) – 131 million baht
2. Sing Lek Lek Thee Riak Wa … Ruk (สิ่งเล็กๆ ที่เรียกว่า...รัก, First Love) – 80 million baht
3. Saranae Sip Lor (สาระแนสิบล้อ, literally "Saranae 10 wheeler") – 70 million baht
4. Tukky Jao Ying Kai Kob (ตุ๊กกี้เจ้าหญิงขายกบ, literally "Tukky, the princess who sold frogs") – 67 million baht
5. Baan Chan ... Talok Wai Gon (Por Son Wai) (บ้านฉัน...ตลกไว้ก่อน (พ่อสอนไว้), The Little Comedian) – 50 million baht
5. Po Taek (โป๊ะแตก) – 50 million baht
7. Ong Bak 3 (องค์บาก 3) – 46 million baht.
8. Luangphee Teng 3 (หลวงพี่เท่ง 3 รุ่นฮา เขย่าโลก, The Holy Man 3) – 37 million baht
9. Nak Prok (นาคปรก, Shadow of the Naga) – 36 million baht
10. Chua Fah Din Salai (ชั่วฟ้าดินสลาย, Eternity) – 35 million baht
11. Tai Hong (ตายโหง, Still, a.k.a. Die a Violent Death) – 31.43 million baht

Popularity-wise, according to the ABAC Poll Research Center, the favorite movie of last year was Sing Lek Lek with a 19.2% share, followed by Guan Muen Ho with 18.3%. Ubiquitous comedienne Tukky and her fairytale frog-princess movie were in third place with 11.2%. Phranakorn's monastic comedy Luangphee Teng 3 was fourth at 9% and rounding out the top five was the lush period romantic melodrama Chua Fah Din Salai with 7.5%

Of 2010's 11 top-grossing films, seven were released by market leader Sahamongkol Film International, two were by GTH (Guan Muen Ho and The Little Comedian) and two by Phranakorn (Luangphee Teng 3 and Tai Hong).

Most were romance or comedies, the exceptions being the controversial "monks with guns" crime thriller Nak Prok, Tony Jaa's martial-arts drama Ong-Bak 3 – released in the midst of Bangkok's red-shirt protests – and the horror shorts compilation Tai Hong.

So the action and horror genres aren't completely dead. Yet.

But with Thai audiences eating up the romance films for the past couple of years, the studios will be increasingly formula-driven and offer more and more of those in 2011.


(Via Lyn's Lakorn Blog)