While South Korean and Japanese films certainly have a fan base in Thailand, their share of the market has traditionally been small compared to the success enjoyed by Hollywood and most local releases.

But Asian films are growing in stature, their recognition coming continuously yet quietly through limited cinema releases.

Some are breaking records by staying on the screens in Bangkok for three months. Hollywood blockbusters rarely make it past three weeks.

Hong Kong films used to enjoy big-screen success in the Land of Smiles. Now Japan is ruling the roost, with Korea coming in a close second.

Korean cinema won over Thai hearts with the 2001 romantic comedy "My Sassy Girl", and even though dozens of movies from Kimchi Land have been imported since then, it's the TV series that have captured the most viewers.

"Korean and Japanese have different audiences because of their storylines, but on average, Japanese films are more successful," says Phanu Aree, director of acquisitions for Mongkol Pictures.

With Korean series and soaps having made such an impact on Thai television, the key to its film industry's success lies with its actors.

"Thai fans know many more Korean actors than they do Japanese," says Songpol Wongkoldee, acquisitions manager for M Picture.  "Korean stars are very popular and it really boosts the film's success if we bring the leading actors here on a promotion tour."

Yet while Korean films outnumbered Japanese releases this year, only a few have been successful.

Meanwhile, Japan's nostalgic drama "Always Sunset on the Third Street" stayed in the theatres for almost three months and earned just under Bt3 million, while live-action flick "Death Note", also from Japan, took in more than Bt23 million at the box office.

Although both based on popular manga books, the films targeted very different audiences.

"It may only have earned a few million in ticket sales but we were satisfied with the profit as we had at least 100 people at each showing, which is very good for such a limited release," says Phanu.

The booming Korean film industry is influenced by Hollywood, he notes, while Japanese movies have their own distinctive style, with strong, original stories.

"The successful Japanese film is a well-defined drama, usually about the lives of a couple and their family and friends. It has a positive message that Thai moviegoers appreciate."

The Japanese trend started back in 2001 when Mongkol released Shunji Iwai's contemporary tale "Love Letter".

The film, which was screened at Lido on limited release, was warmly received by Thai cinemaphiles.

"We weren't really expecting anything, especially as 'Love Letter' had already been shown on cable TV. But the film's success was fascinating. It told us that as long as the movie is good, the audience will support it," Phanu says.

The success was repeated two years ago with "Nobody Knows", Hirokazu Koreeda's drama about four children abandoned in their apartment to survive on their own.

Then last year, the romantic drama "Be With You" created a similar phenomenon, staying in the theatre for almost three months.

"The timing is very important. You can't release films like these back to back," Phanu says.

Unlike M Picture's Korean star meet-and-greet extravaganzas, Mongkol does little to promote its Japanese movies, preferring to rely on word of mouth.

"We don't have much budget for advertising, so the word of mouth is very important for these films," says Phanu.

The budget is also the reason why the films are only shown at one or two Bangkok cinemas. Japanese films are usually purchased on the market at relatively cheap prices but with likely revenues of just a few million baht, they make very little profit for Thai companies.

The live-action, or comic-con, film "Death Note" has beaten all expectations. With smart marketing, it quickly became the top-grossing Japanese film to be released in Thailand.

"Japanese cartoons are popular here so as soon as this well-known manga came to the screen, fans couldn't wait to see it," says Songpol.

The big-screen adaptation of Ai Yazawa's best-selling girls' comic "Nana" received a warm welcome earlier this year too, and a second episode is due for release next year.

M Picture is bringing in new comic-con movie "Kindaichi" for its 2007 programme.

Mongkol has lined up the new drama from Nobuhiro Doi, director of "Be With You".

"Nada Sou Sou" ("Tears For You"), released in Japan last month, has been the top-grossing film for four consecutive weeks. Meanwhile fans of Korean films can look forward to the movie debut of heartthrob Rain in "I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK", which comes to the screen in February.

And both Mongkol and M Picture are preparing to give a boost to the niche Asian market by expanding the range of cinemas screening the movies.

That's good news for film fans who will no longer be limited to House and Lido for their cinematic diets.

Parinyaporn Pajee

The Nation