Hollywood and Bollywood are well-known movie engines. A Thai film enthusiast wants to make Tollywood a household name.
Tollywood (Thailand and Hollywood) is the brainchild of Vicha Poonvaraluk, the founder and chairman of Major Cineplex, who wants to support Thai film producers in making movies for the international audience.
Mr Vicha, 57, is partnering with local and foreign companies to produce quality films for export.
The first collaboration with a Chinese partner will be screened in China in the first quarter next year. This film was produced by Thais and has Thai actors, but the script is by Chinese writers.
He did not disclose the details, saying only that each film will cost at least US$1 million.
The company chose China because the market is bigger than the US and Europe combined.
Chinese movies sell about 1.5 billion tickets per year compared with 40 million for Thai movies in Thailand. The price for a movie ticket in China is 400-500 baht compared with 150-200 baht in Thailand.
Normally, China only allows the screening of 36 foreign films a year.
"The partnership allows us to enter China without any restrictions," he said.
"About 700 films are screened in China a year, and we will be happy if we can screen 10 of our films there."
Mr Vicha said the movie industry will never die. The movie business and number of screens continue to grow across Southeast Asia and China, he said.
"Technology may disrupt many businesses. But for us, film opportunities in Thailand are increasing, such as through Netflix," Mr Vicha said.
He said the Thai movie industry and Thai actors are internationally accepted.
Mr Vicha expects about 52 Thai films to be launched in the Thai market next year, each with an initial production cost of $1 million.
Of the total, about 20 titles will come from Major Group, up from 15 titles in previous years.
Apart from cineplexes, the company will promote Thai films via other windows such as airlines and online platforms like Netflix.
By doing so, Major Group expects the local market share for Thai and Hollywood films to be 50:50 by 2025, up from 25:75 last year.
Mr Vicha plans to allocate a budget of 500 million baht to expand business next year, including the opening of 30 new cinemas upcountry with about 1-3 screens per branch.
By the end of this year, Major will operate a total of 810 screens in 60 provinces including Bangkok.
Of the total, 355 screens will be in Bangkok and surrounding areas, 416 in other provinces and 39 overseas in Cambodia, Laos and India.
The company expects the films it produces to reach 1,200 screens in 2025.
Sales for Major the first nine months this year grew by 15% to 6.99 billion baht.
Of the total, 4.39 billion baht was from movie tickets, 1.5 billion from popcorn and 1.1 billion from advertising.
Thailand is expected to sell 40 million movie tickets for the first time this year. His hope is to reach 100 million tickets in three years.
"Major is still strong despite many obstacles because we have adjusted constantly over the last 24 years, and we have more products than our competitors," said Mr Vicha.
"Major is more than just a cinema. We always bring in new technology to our cineplexes, including the Giant Laser Screen with laser projectors at six Major branches in Bangkok and Korat next year. I did not have to do this because of competition. I just have a passion to have the best technology."
He expects sales from movie tickets to double to 12 billion baht in 2025.
Major opened its first standalone cinema in the Pin Klao area 25 years ago.
The company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2002, and in 2004 absorbed Thailand's No.2 cinema operator, EGV Entertainment, which was Thailand's first cineplex operator.