Gavin Lin’s Sunshine Women’s Choir has risen to the top of Taiwan’s box office, scoring a new all-time record for local films.
The heartfelt prison drama hit $17.4m (NT$545m) on Saturday (February 14), making it the highest grossing local film ever. It has shattered the long-standing record held by Wei Te-sheng’s Cape No.7 since 2008 and outperformed 2011’s Warriors Of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale, also directed by Wei, and Giddens Ko’s You Are The Apple Of My Eye, also from 2011.
This new record was achieved after 51 days on release, including five days of preview screenings over Christmas before its opening on December 31. It ranks 21st at the overall box office including international titles.
Shot in a prison in Yilan in northeastern Taiwan, the film is about a group of female inmates who find warmth, hope and redemption through music. It gained solid traction through strong word of mouth from the second week of release onwards.
The film reteams director Lin with actress Ivy Chen and scriptwriter Henry Lu (previously known as Hermes Lu) following their 2018 pan-Asia hit More Than Blue. Taiwan-Japan superstar Judy Ongg – in her first Taiwanese film in 47 years – also heads the ensemble cast.
Among the major backers are Lin’s new production company Star Generation Culture & Entertainment, 16cc Company, Taiwan Mobile, Dawning Jade Entertainment, and Long Shong Times Group.
It is produced by veteran Liu Weijan whose credits include GFBF* (2012), The Bold, The Corrupt, And The Beautiful (2017) and Coo-Coo 043 (2022).
The film has opened in Singapore and Malaysia and will next roll out in Hong Kong on March 5, following special screenings since January 17. North America, Australia, New Zealand and Cambodia aim to open in March.
Taiwan-based 66cc Company (previously known as Distribution Workshop) handles international sales. Its sister company, 11cc Films, is the Taiwanese distributor.
Taiwan’s box office is set to flare up further through a pair of Lunar New Year offerings. Giddens Ko’s latest big-budget action fantasy adventure Kung Fu opened on February 13, followed by Joseph Chen-Chieh Hsu’s wedding comedy drama Double Happiness on February 17, the first day of Lunar New Year.
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