Young Chinese movie-goers flock to see Thai film that reflects their school-exam angst
Bad Genius resonates with students under pressure in a flawed educational system that can make or break lives
When Thai movie Bad Genius finished a strong second in Chinese box-office rankings on its opening weekend, industry commentators clamoured to decipher the significance. Now the highest-grossing Thai release ever in China, the exam-scam caper has been a triumph for distributor Hengye Pictures.
The company pulled off a marketing campaign as taut and precise as the film’s school-hall schemes. Exhibitors and heavyweight bloggers were invited to exclusive previews, while full-time students attended sneak previews free of charge – gestures that generated significant buzz in the run-up to the film’s release on, October 13.
Some see the success of Bad Genius as proof that flat-fee imports have become as lucrative for Chinese film distributors as the Hollywood blockbusters that are unspooling as so-called shared-revenue titles. According to showbiz news portal Yule Zibenlun, Bad Genius would yield a profit of at least 70 million yuan (US$10.5 million) for Hengye against an outlay of 3.3 million yuan for the Chinese rights.
Beyond industry chatter about promotional strategies and profit margins, there is a more pressing question about a film that, according to audience research portal Taopiaopiao, relied heavily on the 16-24 age group. Why did this notoriously fickle and star-crazed demographic warm to a Thai film devoid of a love story, recognisable stars or cosmopolitan glamour?
Of course, Bad Genius offers a heavy dose of fantastical, adrenaline-fuelled thrills – the kind of entertainment that youngsters consider value for money. But the film also works because it is grounded in an exam-obsessed reality that chimes with China’s own, but has rarely been depicted in Chinese films.