In a word: “yes.” And we’ll get to why in a bit.
So it’s a Thursday night and we were doomscrolling through our Instagram feeds (as we are wont to do after a long day at the office) when we came across this:
GSC Movies, who are distributing Tiga Janda Melawan Dunia, are offering full refunds if you watch their movie on opening weekend and end up hating it. Now offering a money-back guarantee is pretty bold move. One that we at Goggler have only ever encountered once before in all of our years watching movies in this country. So why is it happening this time?
For starters, this week marks the first time in our memory, that two local movies are opening simultaneously: this slapstick comedy, Tiga Janda Melawan Dunia, and the action thriller, The Assistant. With no Hollywood blockbusters to compete against, both these movies have a clear runway of seven days before Top Gun: Maverick opens on May 26. But given how hard it is to convince local audiences to watch a local movie, it was just a matter of time before a money-back guarantee became a part of the conversation.
As a marketing effort, it’s pretty clever.
The opening weekend is absolutely critical for any movie. It creates momentum. It generates word of mouth. And here, in Malaysia, a good performance ensures that your movie will continue to screen in as many halls as possible. But there is another reason why opening weekends are crucial. More often than not, Malaysian movies only tend to gain traction in their second week. Why? Because no one is willing to take the risk of paying to watch a local movie until someone they know has told them that it’s worth it.
Which is why this logic is sound. If we had to pick between two Malaysian movies, and one of them came with a money-back guarantee, it really makes our decision a no brainer. We’ve been lied to far too many times. We’re tired of having our heart broken over and over again.
It also speaks to a certain cockiness on the part of GSC Movies. This offer of a refund shows us just how confident they are in their product. Which, we can tell you, is a truly rare place to be when it comes to promoting a local movie.
How Does It Work?
Easy. If you happen to buy a ticket to watch Tiga Janda Melawan Dunia between May 20 and 22, and if you truly dislike the movie, you can click on a Google Form, lodge your complaint, and get a full refund.
But what we really like about this is that it isn’t just a mindless process. See Exhibit B.
It’s great that GSC are forcing audiences to think about why they dislike a movie and then making them articulate those reasons before issuing a refund. It’s an extra step that requires a certain amount of thought.
So Why Not Go All the Way?
We say let’s take it one step further. GSC is on to a good thing. So let’s make it a thing. We think this money-back guarantee should apply to every Malaysian movie that’s released in cinemas. If you buy a ticket to watch a local movie on opening weekend, and if you don’t like it, you’ll get your money back.
If the only way to hold shitty filmmakers accountable for their shitty films is to hit them were it hurts, then let’s take away what little box-office they might make as well. Hell, it might even stop FINAS from giving out those grants willy-nilly.
There will also likely be a positive spillover onto audiences as well. More Malaysians may feel compelled to watch a local movie on opening weekend. Which will end up being a good thing for the industry. What’s more, forcing them to provide constructive criticism before issuing refunds is one way of raising the discourse around movies.
But Why Just Malaysian Movies?
You already know the answer to this, but we’ll explain it anyway.
With a foreign film, we are able to make an informed opinion before buying a ticket. There are thousands of voices out there – critiques, reviews, analyses – across any number of platforms, that cater to every possible demographic. In contrast, independent critique is incredibly hard to come by over here in Malaysia. A fact made worse if the movie is distributed by one of the two major studios. Because both these studios are owned by corporations who also happen to control the vast majority of our media channels, what happens is that we get bombarded by promotional material and sponsored content that essentially trick us into watching trash.
It’s daylight robbery is what it is. And we don’t know about you, but we’re so tired of it that we think it’s time to take some extreme measures.
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