21 Feb - One of the films that helped kick start the Chinese New Year, "The Journey", raked in a whopping RM10.7 million in Malaysian cinemas. Its earnings makes "The Journey" one of the highest grossing Malaysian movies to date. "It is a touching and heart-warming film that is sure to make you laugh and cry. The storyline hits close to the Malaysian heart regardless of what race you are," writes the Borneo Post. "The Journey" is one of the films that was released to celebrate the Lunar New Year last 30 January, close to another local Malaysian Chinese film, "Huat Ah! Huat Ah! Huat!" which was released last 6 February.
"The Journey" tells the story of Bee, who returns to Malaysia for the first time in a decade. She introduces her conservative father Uncle Chuan to her happy-go-lucky British fiancé, Benji. With Benji's lack of cultural understanding and comprehension of Chinese traditions, Chuan opposes their marriage. Unexpected circumstances ensue, and Chuan reluctantly submits to their union, on the condition that their wedding adheres to Chinese tradition. Part of that tradition is that Chuan must invite all of his childhood friends personally. So the quintessential odd couple, Benji and Chuan, embark on a cross country adventure to deliver the invitations. Despite language barriers and initial hesitation from both parties, the two men come to realize that their priorities are essentially one and the same. Other high grossing Malaysian films that have exceeded local box office expectations over the years are, "KL Gangster" with RM11.74 million and "Ombak Rindu" with RM10.9 million in 2011. "The Journey" is directed by Chiu Keng Guan, who had also directed the also successful and critically acclaimed film "Great Day" in 2011.