Local movies Number 1 and The Diam Diam Era draw movie lovers back to cinemas

Golden Horse winner Number 1 and Jack Neo's latest film The Diam Diam Era have crossed Singapore box office milestones of $800,000 and $1 million.  

Number 1《男儿王》was released in cinemas on Oct 22, 2020, and won the Award for Best Makeup and Costume Design at this year's Golden Horse Awards.

Actor Mark Lee also received a Best Actor nomination for his performance in the film, as a man down on his luck and must take on an unorthodox job as a means of survival.

As of Dec 14, Number 1 has been playing for eight weeks.  

"The box office numbers for Number 1 have been very encouraging for us. In the first four weeks of play, demand actually held steady instead of dropping off as it normally does. And it has continued to stay strong even after The Diam Diam Era opened," says Mr Ng Say Yong, Chief Content Officer, mm2 Entertainment.  

Box office results of Number 1: $830,000 (as of Dec 13, 2020) 

The Diam Diam Era《我们的故事之沉默的年代》opened Nov 26, 2020, and is the highly-anticipated third part in director Jack Neo's Long Long Time Ago series. The film follows the Lim family from Long Long Time Ago as they enter the 1980s, a period of dramatic social and political change for Singapore.

The Diam Diam Era Too will open during Chinese New Year 2021.  

Box office results of The Diam Diam Era: $1,170,000 (as of Dec 13, 2020) 

Due to reduced seating capacities and a lack of blockbuster content from Hollywood and abroad, cinema attendances have inevitably fallen.

Islandwide weekend four-day box office collections have averaged about $600,000 since cinemas reopened in July this year, compared to the $2 million per week the year prior. However, the release of The Diam Diam Era has seen overall cinema attendances increase dramatically.

Tickets for The Diam Diam Era alone account for more than 30 per cent of all the tickets sold in the last two weekends, and the film was the number one film at the box office for two weeks. 

"We are very grateful to local movie lovers for their support for The Diam Diam Era. Right now, people who go to the movies are not as worried about contracting the virus. Singaporeans hope to resume regular life as soon as possible, also known as 'the new normal'.

"Going to the cinema to watch a local movie with your family is just a regular, everyday activity. As long as we all strictly abide by the safety measures and maintain a safe social distance, it is very safe to go to the cinemas to watch movies," says director Jack Neo. 

Indeed a meta study by Celluloid Junkie1 in October revealed that there has not been a single outbreak of Covid-19 anywhere across the globe that can be traced to a cinema, multiplex or public screening venue.  

"We have a whole slate of local movies to be released in the coming year, and given the performance of Number 1 and The Diam Diam Era, we are confident that the new slate will continue to receive strong support from Singapore movie goers," added Mr Ng.