'Even Bond movies showed to empty cinemas'

News reports that Tanda Putera had showed to empty cinemas has had questionable intentions as even the latest James Bond film had attracted a small audience during weekdays, said Tanda Puteradirector Shuhaimi Baba.

As such, she said, those who have maligned and slandered the film should apologise to the filmmakers, although she admits that she does not expect her detractors to say sorry.

"We don't know why the fact that there was a small audience at a screening in the middle of a work day is blown up. This is common, even for Hollywood blockbusters.

"Reading this news, a friend told me that she and her husband watch the James Bond film Skyfall on a workday and there were only two of them in the cineplex in Kelana Jaya (Selangor)!" said Suhaimi (right).

She added that another friend took her daughter and her friends to watch the newly-opened documentary on the British boyband One Direction at a Bandar Utama cineplex last Monday and there were only nine people in the cinema.

"Why wasn't this blown up? What was the motive behind the bad press against Tanda Putera?" she asked in a statement late today.

She also expressed disappointment over a broadcast news report which featured the pictures circulating online, claiming that the film used props inappropriate to its period settings.

The pictures were taken from the film's official Facebook page and were photographs taken before post-production editing.

The final cut of the film does not contain these period-inappropriate objects, she said.

"We will raise this matter with the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission and will consult our lawyers on our next course of action," she said, stressing that the images were used without the filmmaker's consent.

 Standing ovation
Shuhaimi said that despite the bad press and negative comments by politicians, the film still raked in commendable earnings especially for a historical film.

She said that in some screenings, the audience even gave the film a standing ovation.

She added that bookings for private screenings are also growing and would be able to raise the film's takings.

"Its detractors label it an Umno film. So why was it that it was not filled with Umno's three million members in the first four days of screening?

"This would have smashed the box office with earnings of millions of ringgit!" she said, of the film which sits on number six in terms of film ticket sales in Malaysia in the last weekend.

Meanwhile, Utusan Malaysia reported that Umno Youth and Persatuan Seniman Malaysia will be hosting a special screening of the film at a cineplex in Petaling Jaya tonight.

The daily reported that the screening, limited to 300 viewers, is fully sponsored by Umno Youth, in support of the film and in conjunction with the 56th National Day.