Movies at the mall

[pfotoguy369]

I've lived here for about 3 months now and I've noticed all the movies they play at the mall are all in Thai. including the English ones. and most don't even have the English subtitles. Any one know why?

Next is there anything that could be done about it.
Who would we talk to?


We seem to have a large Farang population here plus the amount of visitors especially in the high season.

Any Ideas??

[sandman67]

thats odd.....they usually have one showing with subtitles....especially big films Ive been to a fair few and all of them were subtitled.

guess your best option would be to speak to the manager....the kids on the kiosks dont even know when films are coming so I guess they are pretty much in the dark about the running of the place.

good luck tho....my guess is he wont give a toss...

[GLCQuantum]

When "Fantastic Four The Silver Surfer" came out I know a lot of the parents from where I work went to the cinema and made some sort of deal that if they bought enough tickets up front then the cinema would be willing to play the movie in English, it was such a hit that the next few days they continued to play that movie in English, only to find that 3 or 4 people turned up to watch it.

Basically not enough farangs are going to the movies to make it worthwhile for them to open a screen up in English.

good luck tho....my guess is he wont give a toss...

Yes, he will give a toss once he knows it's a good business move, financially, to start screening movies in the English language, which so far has proven not to be such a good move. The few times it's been done I doubt he was so impressed with seeing a family of four farangs with the cinema to themselves!!!

Think about it please, if we give them enough business, regularly, then they will cater for us, but they will not do that for the odd guy coming in here and there.

[GLCQuantum]

P.S

Visitors on holiday here don't tend to spend much time sitting in the cinema watching a movie!!

[Wanderlust]

The problem as I see it is that firstly they don't promote the place or the films they are showing anywhere except outside the cinema and a couple of boards (in Thai) dotted around Market Village - so you have to go to the place to find out what's on; then when you get there it is either all Thai films (although I have been told that many of them have English subtitles) or Western movies dubbed into Thai with no English subtitles. Most farangs are used to being able to rock up at the cinema and finding a movie on within the next hour or so that they will wait for, and this is the case in Bangkok, so i don't understand why the same policy isn't operated in Hua Hin; I would be prepared to bet that if the cinema devoted one showing per day in each screen at a reasonable time of Western movies in English and advertised it (I know for a fact that the Observer would publish it if the cinema could get their act together and know a month's schedule in advance, or at least an approximation; I'm sure this forum would be happy to do so as well), they would get a full house or close to it most of the time, and it wouldn't all be farangs either. They could even charge a little extra for this I would estimate. I was so disappointed when the cinema opened about the lack of original soundtracks, and I suspect quite a few Thais are as well - it is often a way they use to practice their understanding of English i have heard. Certainly whenever i watched a movie in Bangkok there were always a lot of Thais there, regardless of time or day.

[migrant]

We went to see a first run Thai movie ( one of the silly comedies) and that had subtitles, even though I was the only Farang, but many of the main stream don't

[Farang]

Here are the films in HH Cineplex:

http://www.movieseer.com/DisplayPerThea ... &Channel=2

[Wanderlust]

Yeah, I was aware that there was a website showing what films and times, although that link only gives today's times, and, of course they are either Thai films with English subtitles, or Western movies with Thai soundtrack! Because every time I have checked that has been the case I just don't bother any more, and I am sure there are others in and around town that feel the same. The next nearest cinema is at Big C in Petchburi 40 minutes away, and that is the same - the contrast between Bangkok and outside is significant, but what i would be interested to know, from anyone who visits the cinema here regularly, is whether the showings they have been to are always full? As in, are the management of the cinema justified in only rarely showing Western movies with original soundtrack because the fare they are serving up is making money for them?

[Chas]

Interestingly, the spouse has dragged me to any number of major Western films dubbed into Thai and more times than not, the total audience number never amounted to a dozen. We saw Beowolf in Thai and the audience was exactly six people. ( Come to think of it, I have never seen a theatre here or in Bkk more than half full and the screenings I have attended here ( Thai and original soundtrack) have attracted perhaps 50 people max.)

With every film showing four or five times each day and the blockbusters screened in two out of the four theaters, you would think that ONE showing might be the original soundtrack.

Even minimal advertising around the tourist areas would attract enough people to make it worth while. After all, if you are here for a week's vacation, what DO you do at night? ( And I am thinking families here, not punters!) Make a list of night-time attractions for families in Hua Hin and it will be a short one. You will run out of things to do by the third or fourth night and I am including the Night Market and Sasi!

I think there is something else at play here besides the money involved and I am not sure what. Could be Thai pride or attitude toward farangs, laziness, could be a particular quirk of the owners . . .who knows? We have often in this forum noted that a business practice such as considering that a customer might return to your establishment another time if treated right (repeat business) is not something you can take for granted here.

But every so often there IS a big movie with the original soundtrack and we are always surprised and delighted when this happens. But why? Why only once in a blue moon and without any prior notice or advertising? Is it purely an accident? Is it a test of some sort?

[Farang]

Very rarely there is an English film with original soundtrack in HH Cineplex. Last one was
National Treasure: Book of Secrets, last week and it was displayed such on HHCP website.

[KelpieKiss]

I went to go and see 1408 in Hua Hin. A pretty daft movie with John Cusack stuck in a room. I sat in those big lazy boy chairs at the back, fully reclined and covered with a complimentary blanket. I really didn't care how good the film was as the chair was worth the entry price. I couldn't wait to watch every film that came to the cinema in such incredible comfort.

Unfortunately, that was the last film to be in English. If there were films in English, I for one would be a very regular customer.

When I watched 1408 though, there was me, my girlfriend and 2 Thais in the whole theater. Maybe it's us lazy Ferangs, with our big plasma tv's and cheap DVD's that's killing the cinema for us here. If we want English films we need to get off our fat arses and go the the cinema.

One more point is, I know quite a few Thais who speak good English and hate it when the movie's dubbed in Thai. Let's face it, they're not too good at it.

[KelpieKiss]

Does anyone happen to know who the manager of the cinema is? Maybe if someone sends him a link to this forum he might be made aware of our grievances.

[Chas]

I agree KK, those emperor chairs with the blankets make any movie bearable! I have more than once made that my condition for attending a film dubbed into Thai.

You are correct. The dubbing is terrible. It is just two guys and a woman in a booth somewhere and they do ALL the voices. (They are especially bad at scenes where voices are raised or where there is shouting or screaming.) But Thai moviegoers are not fussy and probably don't care. After all, they flock to the monthly movie about bloody ghosts and the endless comedies starring that bald guy with no teeth, the little fat guy. . that crowd that is all over Thai TV as well. (You couldn't pay me to watch one of those) While on the subject, the two Thai movies (English subtitles) that I think were well worth seeing this past year were Naresuan and Bangkok Love Story. The Thai movie industry is no Bollywood, but it is capable of turning out a good flic ( imho) as these two show.

Damn, I wanted to see National Treasure! We checked the boards at least twice last week and never saw it up with "soundtrack"

[pfotoguy369]

Very rarely there is an English film with original soundtrack in HH Cineplex. Last one was
National Treasure: Book of Secrets, last week and it was displayed such on HHCP website.

That's really weird. We went there last week and saw it was playing on 2 screens. I even asked at the window if one was in English or at least had subtitles and we were told NO.

When we do go to a Thai movie that has English subtitles I'm always surprised at the amount of swearing and the number of times they say the F word, and most of the Thai's are laughing and most of the time there are kids in the audience. just seems strange.

I know when I buy a movie and show it with the subtitles in English. "The wife's learning to read" most of the time they get it wrong. the wording I mean.

[johnnyk]

I guess we have just not proved that we are a big enough, consistent enough market for the distibutors to care about. Even Pattaya, where the falang population is much larger, does not show that many movies in English