Women’s prison drama Sunshine Women’s Choir directed by Gavin Lin has hit $12.7m (NT$400m) at Taiwan’s box office, making it the sixth biggest local film of all time.
The heartfelt drama reunites Lin with actress Ivy Chen and scriptwriter Henry Lu (previously known as Hermes Lu) from his 2018 pan-Asia hit More Than Blue.
The film earned $316,000 (NT$10m) in its first five days after opening on December 31, behind US blockbusters Avatar: Fire And Ash and Zootopia 2 as well as local documentary Hero! Hito!.
However, in its second week, it had reached $886,000 (NT$28m) by January 11 – an increase of more than 118% on the first week – and rose to number one at the daily box office on January 12, where it has remained ever since.
Strong word of mouth has sustained momentum for the film, which had passed $3.2m (NT$100m) by January 20, rising steeply to $8m (NT$250m) by January 26 and $9.5m (NT$300m) by January 29.
The film crossed $12.7m (NT$400m) on Monday (February 2) after 34 days on release, overtaking 2021’s Man In Love and 2023’s Marry My Dead Body to become the sixth biggest Taiwanese film of all time.
The story follows a group of female prison inmates who find warmth, hope and redemption through music and singing. One of them gave birth behind bars and when the baby girl is diagnosed with an eye condition, the inmates form a choir as a final gift to her. The film is based on Kang Dae-kyu’s 2010 Korean film Harmony, combined with real-life stories from Taiwan.
Yin Chen-Hao’s Man In Love was also a remake of a Korean film, adapting Han Dong-wook’s 2014 romantic drama, as was Lin’s previous smash hit More Than Blue, adapted from Won Tae-yeon’s 2009 romantic drama.
The ensemble female cast is led by Taiwan-Japan superstar Judy Ongg in her first Taiwanese film in 47 years, alongside Amber An, May Sun and Chung Hsin-Ling. It marks the first project produced by director Lin’s new production company, Star Generation Culture & Entertainment.
The film has also found commercial success in Malaysia, where it was released on January 15 through Mega Films and has taken $534,000 (RM2.1m) as of February 1. It ranked number one at the box office for eight consecutive days, from January 22-29, beating Papa Zola The Movie – the biggest animation of all time in Malaysia.
Taiwan-based 66cc Company (previously known as Distribution Workshop) handles international sales. Its sister company, 11cc Films, is the Taiwanese distributor.
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