Everyone’s favourite dad now has a movie, 'Papa Zola The Movie'. Photo: Handout
The Malaysian film industry is clearly on the right path in 2025, having recorded the highest local box office collection in the history of Malaysian cinemas.
This is according to Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib, CEO of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), who said, “this is the highest total we have ever recorded”.
“It has even surpassed 2022, when Mat Kilau earned RM97.4mil and the total box office collection reached RM190mil,” he said at a press meet on Dec 2.
Azmir added that as of November, the total box office takings had already hit RM180mil.
“I am confident that with the release of Papa Zola The Movie, we can exceed RM190mil.”
That confidence appears well placed. Papa Zola The Movie, produced by Monsta Studio, has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, earning an impressive RM43mil as of Dec 29.
Papa Zola The Movie was released in Malaysian cinemas on Dec 11, with some early screenings. The film is a spin-off from the popular BoBoiBoy universe.
What’s more, the local animation topped GSC’s Top 10 chart on the second week of its release, surpassing Hollywood blockbusters such as Avatar: Fire And Ash, Zootopia 2 and Five Nights At Freddy’s 2.
Nizam Abd Razak, director and writer of Papa Zola The Movie as well as Monsta’s CEO, said in a press statement that the studio is grateful the film has been embraced as a family-friendly option at cinemas.
“Even more meaningful is that this success has been driven by the organic sharing of experiences among audiences themselves... (proving) local films supported organically by viewers can inspire even more people to appreciate homegrown productions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azmir said Finas is looking ahead to another strong year in 2026, with several sequels to hit films such as Blood Brothers, Takluk: Lahad Datu and Gayong.
The decision to produce a sequel to Blood Brothers: Bara Naga, a Skop Productions title, comes as little surprise.
The film is currently the top-grossing Malaysian movie of 2025. Based on figures available on the Finas’s official website, it has earned RM73.64mil to date.
While Papa Zola The Movie is posting impressive numbers, it still has some way to go before overtaking the year’s top animated release, Ejen Ali The Movie 2.
The Wau Animation production has collected RM58.4mil at the box office since its release on May 22.
Other major hits this year include the horror film Malam Terlarang, starring Zul Ariffin and Sofea Jane, which earned RM12.49mil, and Cantonese action-comedy Money Games, featuring Malaysian and Hong Kong actors, with box office takings of RM9.44mil.
