KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — The epic biographical film Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan (Mat Kilau: The Rise of a Warrior), which has created an extraordinary phenomenon, has raked in RM90 million in ticket sales after 33 days of screening nationwide, Singapore and Brunei.
Its director, Mohd Syamsul Mohd Yusof or better known as Syamsul Yusof, said the film became the highest grossing film in Malaysia in the local and international categories after Munafik 2 and Avengers: End Game.
"Tears of gratitude...there are no words but Alhamdulillah (thanks to Allah). I and the whole team are very moved. Thank you to the audience for continuing to believe in this work and all my previous films. From the first film to now. Insya Allah (God willing), may it continue to inspire me for movies to come," he said in a statement today.
The Best Director of the 57th Asia Pacific Film Festival also said that the Mat Kilau film has also become the number one film in the weekly box office chart in the country for five consecutive weeks thus eclipsing big Hollywood films.
"It has been proven several times, Malay film works can still stand on their own. This is a new hope for local cinema and for all in the country's film industry. Come on all filmmakers, let's unite so that we can all advance the Malaysian film industry," he said.
Since it was first shown on June 23, the film, which was inspired by a Malaysian true history, has managed to become one of the main conversations on social media in addition to evoking the spirit of patriotism with many people dressed in Malay attire when they come to the cinema to watch it.
The film, which cost RM8 million, is lined up with many great actors including Datuk Adi Putra, Beto Kusyairy, Fattah Amin, Wan Hanafi Su, Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan, Datuk Rahim Razali, Mubarak Majid, Shaharuddin Thamby, Namron, A. Galak, Ellie Suriaty, Khir Rahman and Yayan Ruhian, an Indonesian actor who has made a name for himself in Hollywood. — Bernama
