Dr. Rozmey : 2 Alam

Finally we get to know how far the movie 2 Alam, made by Dr. Rozmey can go. Not as far as he would like it to be, I afraid.

So far, the film only managed to make RM230k, still far to go to achieve RM40 millions target.

This is what u get when u are over confident on something. It’s good to have a plan, but make sure it is something that is rational and realistic, otherwise u just fooled urself.

The population of Malaysian citizen is only around 28 millions, so u need a lot of people to go and watch ur movie.

On average, 250,000 people watch local movies. It is a fact that most non-Malays do not watch Malay movies. They make up less than five per cent of the total audience.

Dr Rozmey's expectations for 2 Alam was way too ambitious. To hit RM40 millions, he needs to get at least four million people to the cinemas. Can it be achieved?                                        

Here are three reasons why it is likely an impossible feat: 

i. There is no doubt that Dr Rozmey is a popular brand but it is not synonymous with movies like Skop Productions, MIG Productions and KRU Studios. Local movie-goers support products by these companies because the producers have proved themselves. 

Don't forget that MIG's first three films -- Syukur 21, No Problem and Mendam Berahi were duds. 
Plus, 2 Alam is jointly directed by Hairie Othman and Ed Zarits Lokman, who have yet to prove themselves as film directors. 

ii. The film about a transvestite who becomes a ghost was slapped with an 18PL rating from FINAS, which means movie-goers below 18 will not be allowed to watch the film in cinemas. 

The highest grossing 18PL local film was V3 Samseng Jalanan, which made RM3.8 million. Mantra, a horror flick which was also slapped with an 18PL rating, only made RM3 million. 

The 18PL rating will prevent school students from entering cinemas. The fact is, these students helped Adnan Sempit, Evolusi KL Drift 2, Cicakman, Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak and Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula to make more than RM5 million at the box office. 

The only way for 2 Alam to make RM40 million from a smaller audience is to ensure they watch the film more than ten times at the cinema.


iii. There are 552 cinemas throughout the country based on the latest National Film Development Corporation data. 

Dr Rozmey said he would screen 2 Alam on more than 700 screens.WEIRD! 

That means if 2 Alam opens on Nov 18, almost all cinemas in Malaysia will screen it. Hypothetically, if no other movies are shown and Malaysians have no choice but to watch 2 Alam because it will be the only film showing at that time, then there is a possibility that it might hit its target -- provided that Malaysians choose to fork out RM10 to watch the film. 

But that scenario will only happen if the government intervenes and instructs all cinema operators to only screen 2 Alam.

And don’t forget that two biggest Malay movie markets -- Kelantan and Terengganu -- do not have a single cinema.

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Through daily advertorials in a newspaper, Rozmey made preposterous announcements.

Among them were claims that 30 million Malaysians have sworn to watch 2 Alam when it opens in cineplexes, that the film will be shown in all 700 screens in the country, and the most ludicrous -- that cinema operators would postpone the release of Hollywood blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 to make way for 2 Alam.

Rozmey's promotional team marketed the film using the "Ddr way" -- by marketing Rozmey instead of the film or its actors.

The film's posters feature not the stars, Aaron Aziz and Suhaillah Salam, but Rozmey. He also went on a solo promotional tour signing autographs and taking photos with fans. And he continued to make absurd claims in his advertorials and on his Facebook page. 

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On the days leading up to the opening of 2 Alam on Nov 18, one after another of his claims crumbled. Cinemas in Singapore did not show the film on Nov 18. The film also failed to open in Brunei that day. 

A week after he announced that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1's release would be delayed by a week, GSC Cinemas announced that the film would open on Nov 17, a day earlier than 2 Alam.

On opening day, the first two slots for the movie played to almost empty halls across the country prompting some cinema operators to move it to smaller halls for the evening slots. Even then, the movie played to half full seats. The film was shown on fewer than 60 screens.

But still, Rozmey confidently announced on his Facebook page that the film was on target to hit RM40 million and that all Malaysians had admitted that he was their film champion.

Only one of two things can help Rozmey achieve his dream of turning 2 Alam into a RM40 million blockbuster -- a miracle. Or he could buy the RM40 million worth of tickets himself.

So my advise is, maybe u should slow down a little bit Dr. Rozmey. U are doing good in ur JusMate5 business, but it seems like u are not doing so well in the movie business. So maybe u should just focus on what u good at.

But still, I would like to congratulate Dr. Rozmey, coz sure enough, 2 Alam has become a film people will remember.