KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Namewee’s Banglasia 2.0 has raked in RM220,000 at the box office on its first day of release after a five-year ban was lifted recently.

The rapper-cum-filmmaker broke his own record for first-day box office releases after Banglasia 2.0 beat his previous bests of Nasi Lemak at RM175,000 and Hantu Gangster at RM188,000.

In 2014, the Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) banned Banglasia (the original name of the movie) because of 31 scenes that they deemed to be distasteful.

The movie, however, did feature in multiple film festivals such as the New York Asian Film Festival, Osaka International Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival.

The ban on the movie was lifted on February 12, after seven cuts and a small reshoot from the original film, with the new version being named Banglasia 2.0.

“I thank the LPF for its decision because I do not want to wait for another five years!” said Namewee in a press release.

However, Namewee has also released a video on his YouTube channel that highlights the banned scenes for the public to make their own judgment.

Finally approved for public screening, the film is one of the few Malaysian productions to be labelled with an 18+ rating.

Considering the amount of money it has collected on its first day, the rating it has been given has not hindered the demand for the film, with GSC Mid Valley doubling their screenings times of Banglasia 2.0.

Cinema operators have also increased the total number of theatres nationwide to 116 from today.

The rating, however, has resulted in many of his under-aged fans expressing their disappointment as they are unable to watch the film in cinemas.

Additionally, the film has not been given a “Skim Wajib Tayang” (Mandatory Screening Scheme), which means that it can be withdrawn from cinemas at any time based on the film’s performance in the box office.

“We need everyone’s support to come to the cinemas this weekend because it is crucial that we extend the movie’s availability for the following week,” added Namewee.

For more updates on the film, go to https://www.facebook.com/Banglasiathemovie/.