How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
2024 Thai film by Pat Boonnitipat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2024 Thai film by Pat Boonnitipat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, known in Thai as Lahn Mah,[a] is a 2024 Thai comedy drama film directed by Pat Boonnitipat in his directorial debut and written by Pat and Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn. It stars Putthipong Assaratanakul and Usha Seamkhum in their debut feature film roles. In the film, M (Putthipong), a university dropout low on money volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother (Usha) in the hope of pocketing an inheritance.
| How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies | |
|---|---|
Thai theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pat Boonnitipat |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Boonyanuch Kraithong |
| Edited by | Thammarat Sumethsupachok |
| Music by | Jaithep Raroengjai |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | GDH |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Thailand |
| Languages |
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| Box office | $73.8 million[1] |
Development on the film began in 2020 after Thodsapon completed the first draft of the screenplay, which underwent several revisions after Pat was hired as director. Putthipong and Usha were hired soon after the screenplay was complete. Principal photography took place in Bangkok, with filming locations including Talat Phlu. Upon release, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies went viral, spurred by a social media trend where viewers posted videos of themselves crying after watching the film.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was first released in Thailand on April 4, 2024, by GDH. It has grossed an estimated $78.3 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 and twelfth-highest grossing domestic film of all time, and also broke box office records in several countries across Asia. It received praise from critics for its direction, screenplay, acting performances, music, and heavy emotional weight. The film was selected as Thailand's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards and became Thailand's first submission to advance to the 15-film shortlist.[2]
Mengju and her adult children Sew, Kiang, and Soei celebrate the Qingming Festival with Sew's son, M, a university dropout and aspiring video game streamer. She tells her family she wants to be buried on a big plot, which costs millions. Hospitalized after a fall, Mengju is diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer and is predicted to die in a year; her family decides to keep the diagnosis hidden from her. After M's wealthy paternal grandfather dies, most of his estate is left to his primary carer, Mui, M's cousin and an online sex worker. M then volunteers to become Mengju's carer, hoping to inherit her estate.
Before moving in, M lists Mengju's Talat Phlu house for sale. He initially struggles to curry favour with her, finding her demanding and unfiltered, and questions the morality of his decision but is convinced by Mui to continue. M tells Mengju of her diagnosis, and she begins to become more receptive to his care. M also assumes Mengju's job as a street congee vendor. During a weekly family gathering, Mengju reveals that M informed of her cancer. All of Mengju's children suddenly suggest methods to help care for her, which raises M's suspicions about their motive; thus, M increases his efforts as her primary carer.
Kiang, a wealthy stockbroker, arranges for Mengju to live with him and his family, offering to pay M to care for Mengju, but he declines the money. Mengju also declines to move in with Kiang, and she grows closer to M. Later, she finds out Soei stole ฿200,000 hidden in her kitchen to help cover his ฿1 million gambling debt. After confronting Soei, M gives him a pure silver belt he inherited from his paternal grandfather to help him pay off his debt. M lies about meeting Soei, telling Mengju that Soei is "out of town on work". One day, Mengju encounters a respondent to M's sale listing of her house, whom she turns away.
Mengju takes M to meet her brother, who inherited millions upon the passing of their parents, and asks for money to purchase the plot. Her brother refuses and it is revealed that Mengju was their parents' carer until they died. She tells M she wants a large burial plot, hoping it will bring her family together as they visit her gravesite. After her doctors tell M that continuing treatment would be futile, he lies to her that she will instead receive treatment "based on her symptoms". Kiang asks Sew for the deed to Mengju's house, but she gives it to Soei, per Mengju's wishes. M angrily reacts to this and moves back home.
M learns that Sew, unlike him or Sew's siblings, did not want anything in exchange for caring for Mengju. Mui offers M half of her expected inheritance if he helps care for her dying aunt, but he refuses. Soei sells Mengju's house, fully covering his debts, and moves her to a nursing home. He attempts to repay M, who refuses. M moves Mengju into his home. He also insults Soei and Kiang for their selfishness. After Mengju dies, M receives a call from a bank, telling him that Mengju put aside money in his name since he was a child after he said he wanted to "buy her a new house". M empties the account and uses the money to buy a big plot for her burial, which everyone attends.
GDH films (including those produced by its wholly owned subsidiary production company Jor Kwang Films) are typically developed by its producers or directors. However, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was the first GDH film to be initiated by Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, a full-time screenwriter at GDH since 2009. In December 2020, he pitched the project with a ten-page synopsis inspired by his experiences caring for his grandmother during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fallout from her not giving her daughter or caregivers any inheritance upon her death.[3] Producers Vanridee Pongsittisak and Jira Maligool worked with Thodsapon to make an "accessible and entertaining" screenplay compared to the initial treatment, creating a slapstick comedy featuring a grandmother and grandchild.[4]
According to Vanridee, this version of the film, which was titled The Chinese Family, was deemed to have "lost [the] original charm" of Thodsapon's treatment. As such, after Sino-Thai director Pat Boonnitipat was hired, he worked with Thodsapon to adopt a more emotionally-driven narrative: Pat had previously worked with GDH on Project S: The Series (2017–2018) and Bad Genius: The Series (2020).[3] He incorporated elements from his own life to develop the final screenplay: his maternal grandmother, who helped raise him and with whom he still lives, was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer in 2004.[5] Pat and Thodsapon worked on the screenplay for two years (which included hours-long phone conversations about their own families):[6] the screenplay then evolved to include other characters beyond the grandmother and grandson.[7]
Pat later stated it took him eight months to learn how to write for film compared to television; How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is his feature film debut.[8] He spoke on the process, saying, "It is much harder to be precise making a film [compared to] TV, which uses coverage—shooting a lot of material and deciding later how to use it. For film, every shot [must] be intentional, to make the most out of every moment."[9] He also revealed that most of the film's early development and pre-production was spent developing the film's characters:[10] the grandmother was partly based on Thodsapon's grandmother while the mother was modelled and named after Pat's mother.[11]
Pat stated that his grandmother directly opined on the screenplay after he moved back in with her when writing,[12][4] while the other characters were based on his Cantonese mother’s family, describing the representation in the film is as “exactly the same [as my own family], even the dialogue".[13] The writers revised the screenplay to include themes on contemporary Thai family dynamics,[14] specifically related to western and Asian attitudes regarding extended and nuclear families.[12] Benediktus Yogatama of Kompas argued the film also contained several themes related to financial planning and personal budgeting.[15] Hollywood Insider's Jake Yancey stated How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies explores gender roles, generational divides and similarities, aging, and the Thai-Chinese cultural experience.[16]
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Putthipong "Billkin" Assaratanakul was cast in his debut lead film role, alongside acting debutante Usha "Taew" Seamkhum.[17] Putthipong was the producers' first choice but Pat disliked his initial audition: Putthipong was hired following a second audition, after taking a long break from acting to attend acting classes.[3] Pat immediately wanted to hire the 78-year-old Usha after her audition, with his assistant director discovering her through a modelling agency Usha was signed to after taking part in a video for a seniors dance competition in 2019.[18][4] Speaking on hiring Usha, Pat stated "I wanted the [film's] acting to be natural [and] ideal way to be natural is to find someone who has never acted. [Usha] didn’t have any pre-concept of acting. She just believed in the story. She became an actor. It’s her gift and it’s very charming".[19]
Usha was ultimately hired after a recast with Putthipong, with the producers wanting a first-time actor for the role.[3] Putthipong said that the film required "detailed and focused acting" compared to his appearances in the television series My Ambulance (2019) and I Told Sunset About You (2021): he had to lose weight and alter his natural walk and speech patterns to portray his character in the film. Putthipong also claimed to have declined numerous other film and television projects until How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.[20] In an interview with The Review Geek on August 2024, Pat said he catered the screenplay and the character to fit Putthipong.[8] This included using a year's worth of acting workshops in place of standard rehearsals between Pat and Putthipong prior to filming.[19] The remaining cast was then rounded out, which included the feature film debut for Tontawan "Tu" Tantivejakul.[21]
Principal photography primarily took place in Talat Phlu, a traditional Chinese community recognized as one of Bangkok's Chinatowns.[22] Filming locations included the Talat Phlu Market and Wat Chantharam Worawihan,[23] both of which became popular visiting locations among fans following the film's release.[24] According to Putthipong, filming lasted for 25 days and was primarily done using a single-camera setup.[20] Boonyanuch Kraithong, the director of photography for How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, used narrow apertures and wide shots to add depth and emphasize the characters' surroundings, in contrast to contemporary films that use a shallow focus. Pat also instructed to use blocking to achieve this effect, which was inspired by filmmaking techniques present in Thai films from the 1950s until the 1970s.[12]
Pat sought to differentiate the style of How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies to the faster-paced television series he previously worked on, which included reducing the use of music. In a July 2024 interview with Lifestyle Asia, Pat said the filming choices worried GDH executives, who considered them to be too unconventional.[12] Pat aimed to make the film as quick as possible to make sure his maternal grandmother could watch it and for him to return to helping out at his family’s mirror and glass-making business.[4] He also used the reaction of the film's crew to assess its scenes, saying, "the first camera assistant [is] a very cool guy and while he was doing the focus pulling on set, he cried so much [filming a scene] that he couldn't keep his hand on the wheel. That's when I knew [a] scene [would] work so well, because it broke his [emotional] wall".[18]
To accommodate for Usha's age, the crew implemented regular breaks during shooting to allow her to rest. According to Pat, scenes which featured Usha walking or talking with Putthipong took the most takes to complete, owing to her inexperience in acting and Pat's strict blocking requirements.[12] Pat also stated that most of the scenes were filmed without prior rehearsal.[19] According to Jake Yancey of Hollywood Insider, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies uses strict opposing colors for its characters and settings to reinforce the film's overarching themes of generational and emotional difference.[16] Pat refused to show the film's designers references to create its indoor sets and instructed them to solely use the screenplay as inspiration: the designer subsequently designed the indoor set depicting Mengju's home as a replica of his mother's.[25]
Although required by GDH to make abstract pitches regarding the film's themes to secure funding from potential investors, Pat refused to share any details of the film's themes with the cast, saying, "I wanted them to be completely present [while filming] and really open up to each other so when we hit record, [their acting] came out completely naturally".[26] Pat was encouraged to favor wide shots and implement a slow pace for How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies after being told it may not generate much box office return, saying, "Many people told me the film might not make much money [so] I treated [filming it] as if it might be my first and last feature. I wanted it to feel timeless."[27]
Jaithep Raroengjai was hired to compose the film's score and the soundtrack album was released digitally by GMM Music, the parent company of GDH, on September 17, 2024. It includes seven songs featured in or inspired by the film, including its theme song "Ever-Forever" performed by Putthipong, and a cover of the Chinese traditional folk song "Aum Kim Kong" performed by Usha.[28] In a June 2024 interview with Magdalene, Raroengjai said the music was composed to be "natural" to make How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies "feel real, raw, and close to the audience".[29]
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies saw increased worldwide popularity after videos of staff at SM Supermalls theatres in Manila handing tissues to viewers prior to screening the film went viral.[30] Its virality was boosted on social media after users took part in a trend of posting videos of themselves crying from watching the film.[13][31] Indonesian production company Falcon Pictures hosted the press conferences with Pat in Jakarta between May 25 and May 27 in response to the film's initial success.[32][15] After its success in Singapore, Usha and Pat attended a ticketed fan event hosted by Golden Village in Suntec City on June 24, 2024. The event featured a screening of How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies and a meet-and-greet,[33] and sold out almost immediately. A second event was added and took place later that same day.[34]
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was released in Thailand by GDH on April 4. It premiered internationally in competition at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival on 17 July 2024.[35] Tickets for its initial premiere sold out almost immediately; a second screening then took place, which was attended by Pat and Putthipong.[3] The film was screened in Beijing for officials of the Thai embassy in China on August 18, organized by Thailand's ambassador to China, Chatchai Viriyavejakul. It also screened for embassy officials, Thai nationals, and Czech and international students at the Municipal Library in Prague on September 21, organized by Suwat Kaewsook, Thailand's ambassador to the Czech Republic.[36] The film premiered in the "A Window on Asian Cinema" program at the 29th Busan International Film Festival on October 3[37] and competed at the 2024 Asian World Film Festival on November 16.[38]
The film began screening on May 15, in Indonesia; May 29, in the Philippines, May 30 in Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore; Myanmar on May 31; in Vietnam on June 7; Hong Kong and Macao on June 13; Cambodia on June 18; Taiwan on June 21; and Timor-Leste on June 26. It was then released in Australia and New Zealand on July 18,[39] and in mainland China on August 23. It was theatrically released in South Korea on October 9:[40] the film was distributed by NK Contents in the country. GDH handled the film's theatrical distribution across Southeast Asia and the Chinese release was handled by Teamer Media.[41] In China, the film opened in 1000 theatres across 30 cities. Its Australian and New Zealand release was acquired by Chinalion Film Entertainment, which previously distributed Bad Genius (2017) in the countries.[42] The film's distribution in 110 other international territories was handled by Mokster Films and WME Independent,[43] with the film released in Russia on January 9, 2025.[44][4]
In August 2024, Vertigo Releasing acquired the film's theatrical distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland: this was followed by Vedette Film for the Netherlands and Belgium, PVR for India, and Well Go USA for North America. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies began a limited release in North America on September 13, in the Netherlands on October 10, and Belgium on November 13. The film was released across 50 to 60 screens in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 26.[45] The Indian release date is yet to be confirmed.[41] The film is set to be released in Japan on June 13, 2025, with its distribution handled by Unplugged.[46]
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was released on streaming in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines by Netflix on September 12, 2024.[47][48] It was the fourth-most viewed program on Netflix in its debut week in the Philippines in a shortened tracking period, with 3 million views in the week tracked from September 9 to September 15.[49] It was also the second most searched film on Google in the country in 2024.[50]
Outside of Asia, the film was released for digital download, on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD in North America by Well Go USA on December 10.[51]
A sleeper hit, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has grossed an estimated US$73.8 million worldwide, including ฿334,000,000 ($12.3 million) in Thailand,[44][52][53] and initially became the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 after grossing ฿250 million ($7.6 million) in its first fourteen days of release: this was since surpassed by Death Whisperer 2 (2024).[53][54] It grossed ฿172.6 million ($5.3 million) in combined receipts in Metropolitan Bangkok and Chiang Mai alone, becoming the highest-grossing GDH film in Thailand and twelfth-highest grossing domestic film of all time.[30][54] It grossed $1.4 million in Singapore in its first eleven days of release,[55] and grossed $5.8 million in its first two weeks in China. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has grossed $14.8 million in China,[56] $25 million across Western markets (including $309,000 in the U.S.),[57][58] and $34 million across Southeast Asia and Australia,[44] making for an estimated worldwide gross of $73.8 million, becoming the highest-grossing Thai film ever by international gross.[59]
According to GDH, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has been screened to over ten million people,[60] and it topped the box office in Singapore from June 6-9,[13] grossing $256,000, setting the record for the biggest opening weekend for a Thai film.[31] Shirley Low, the chief marketing officer of the Malaysian-based Golden Screen Cinemas, noted How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies exceeded their domestic box-office expectations for a Thai film.[13] In Indonesia, the film sold over 3.5 million tickets (including selling 2 million in its first 13 days),[31] setting the record for the most admissions for an Asian film in the country, surpassing the South Korean horror Exhuma (2024), which sold 2.6 million tickets.[4]
The film broke or set several other box office records:[61] in Indonesia, it is the highest-grossing Thai film and highest grossing Asian film,[62][61] and it became the highest-grossing Thai film in Australia, New Zealand,[44] Singapore,[63][61] Myanmar,[47] Vietnam,[60] Malaysia,[61][24] and the Philippines.[60] In the Philippines, tickets were sold out on its opening day and screenings were increased to meet demand.[13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 37 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[64] The site's critical consensus reads, "A comedy of generational manners that blossoms into a sweet tearjerker, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies bets big on earnestness and hits the jackpot." Audiences polled by Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an average rating of 96%,[64] and audiences rated the film 8.9/10 based on 140,000 reviews on the Chinese review platform Douban.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[65][66]
In Asia, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies received industry-wide praise: Shirley Low, the chief marketing officer of Golden Screen Cinemas, commended the film's realistic portrayal of family life, saying, "everything in the film [reminded me of] my family". A similar sentiment was echoed by Ruby Ann O. Reyes, the vice president for corporate marketing for SM Supermalls.[13] According to Pat, the film "stunned" his family (whom the characters are based on) and he stated they "[don't] talk about [the film] but they feel good that it happened".[13] Pat later paid his grandmother from the film's proceeds for her influence on the film.[25] In a review for Grazia Singapore, Danisha Liang praised Putthipong’s convincing portrayal and highlighted Usha's "sassy—almost feisty" presence as the film's standout.[67] The Philippine Star's Jelou Galang praised the production design and Kraithong's cinematography.[68]
In a review for CNN Indonesia, Muhammad Hifzurahman commended the slower pace, saying "[it is] a packed story [that does not] patronize" and called the performances "sweet and very touching". He also praised the "simple choice of backgrounds" for not distracting away from the dynamic between the film's cast and further commended the music and scoring.[69] Noel Wong praised How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies for being an accurate reflection of Asian family dynamics in his review for Free Malaysia Today.[70] Writing for The Rakyat Post, Keran Raj called the "witty and natural" screenplay as "one of the film's strongest aspects", while also praising the "charming and convincing" performance by Putthipong, the "warmth and wisdom" of Usha's performance, and their on-screen chemistry, which he labelled the "heart and soul" of the film.[71]
The film was a critical success outside Asia. Writing for Film Threat, Alex Saveliev gave How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies a positive review, saying it "brims with wisdom and insight" and called the comedy "acerbic and gentle". He also praised the dialogue, labelling it "biting, crisp, smart, and frequently heartbreaking".[72] Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com complimented the music, comedy, and Pat's direction, saying "every scene was packed with lived-in details". He also applauded the "care" and "sensitivity" in the screenplay, concluding the film is "a sunny, gracious portrait of family life".[73] ScreenDaily's Allan Hunter further praised the direction, calling How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies "a sentimental journey to redemption that Boonnitipat grounds in understanding and empathy", and lauded the emotional weight of Raroengjai's music. Hunter also commended the performances of the leads, calling Putthipong "nicely understated and thoughtful" and said Usha was "remarkable" in her portrayal of "a wise and gracious figure – not a typical cuddly grandma but someone canny, realistic and determined".[74]
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies won its first award, the Audience Award, at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival, in July 2024.[75] That October, the film was selected by the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations as Thailand's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[2] It became Thailand's first submission to advance to the 15-film shortlist, announced on December 17.[76]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Asian Film Festival | 28 July 2024 | Audience Award | How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies | Won | [75] |
| KinoBravo International Film Festival | 4 October 2024 | Best Actress | Usha Seamkhum | Won | [77] |
| Best Cinematography | Boonyanuch Kraithong | Won | |||
| Miami Film Festival | 7 November 2024 | Audience Award | How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies | Runner-up | [78] |
| Zagreb Film Festival | 10 November 2024 | PLUS Award for Best Film by the Young Jury | Won | [79] | |
| Asia-Pacific Film Festival | 1 December 2024 | Best Picture | Won | [80] | |
| Best Director | Pat Boonnitipat | Nominated | |||
| Best Leading Actor | Putthipong Assaratanakul | Won | |||
| Best Leading Actress | Usha Seamkhum | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Tontawan Tantivejakul | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn and Pat Boonnitipat | Won | |||
| Best Original Music Score | Jaithep Raroengjai | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Tassanai Lertkai | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup & Costume Design | Jirateep Kluewan and Chayanuch Savekvattana | Nominated | |||
| Gold List | 8 January 2025 | Best Picture | How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies | Nominated | [81] |
| Best Lead Performance | Putthipong Assaratanakul | Nominated | [82] | ||
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Newcomer | Pending | [83] |
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has been considered an atypical box office hit for Thai cinema, which has historically favored horror, action, or comedy films.[13][18] This was echoed by the film's producer Vanridee Pongsittisak, who said "we did not expect this scale of success".[3] According to Resonate, the film inspired its younger audiences to strengthen connection with elder family members, which was echoed by Pat, who said, "many [younger] people now taking their grandparents out. [The film] has inspired people to spend more time with their elders".[84]
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