‘Pulau’ film producer sets RM7 million box-office target, ten scenes removed for PG13 rating
KUALA LUMPUR, March 1— Pulau film producer, Fred Chong, has revealed that a total of ten scenes was removed from the upcoming horror film to get the PG13 classification by the Film Censorship Board (LPF).
He said the film, initially set to be shown in 70 cinemas in Malaysia under the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia's compulsory screening period, or ‘skim wajib tayang’.
The film will now be shown across over 100 cinemas nationwide thanks to the effort of their distributor.
“The distributor has managed to get the film to be screened to 127 cinemas nationwide.
“It’s just that after the film has been banned in one state, the numbers dropped to 124 cinemas.”
Chong was reported by mStar as saying they still have high hopes for the film and are aiming for a haul of RM7 million at the box-office.
He also said that they are currently waiting for the answer from the Terengganu state government, following their appeal for the film to be screened in cinemas there last week.
“In terms of losses, we can not disclose any at the moment, we can only hope the film doesn’t suffer losses. But we’ve lost a few sponsors who backed out earlier.“However, we believe Pulau is a good film and is worth watching.”
Pulau has reportedly lost almost RM500,000 due to the withdrawal of some sponsors.
On February 9, the Kemaman Municipal Council sent a letter to exhibitor, TGV, regarding the Terengganu state executive council’s decision to ban the Pulau film from being screened in the state.
Chong said that the state’s government decision to ban the film could influence other states to take the same action.
Previously, the RM4 million budget film was in hot water following the release of their first official trailer which has received flak online for what was considered steamy and sexy scenes.
Following the outrage, the Censorship Board ssued a statement saying that the trailer that was submitted featured different content compared to its online release.
It added that since the trailer was released online, it does not fall under its jurisdiction, with online content under the purview of the Communication and Digital Ministry.
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil meanwhile has said that the producers of the film have agreed to take the trailer down and replace it with a more suitable one.
Pulau will hit cinemas this March 9, 2023.
