Foreign movies filmed in Thailand generate up to 3 bn baht in income
Thailand has earned almost 3 billion baht from 186 foreign films shot in the country since January, government spokesperson Chai Watcharong announced on May 23, citing data from the Thailand Film Office (TFO).
He added that Thailand aims to be in the top five leading nations of choice in Asia for the film industry and that the country could get as much as 3.192 billion baht from foreign productions during the first five months of this year.
Chai said 47 Thai provinces had served as a location for 186 movies since the start of 2024. The majority (46) were shot in January, followed by 45 in February, 41 in March, 39 in April, and 15 in May, TFO data shows.
Most of the movies filmed in the Kingdom were from India, with 22 productions, while Japan was the biggest spender, paying over 68 million baht. Bangkok saw the most productions, with 123 movies filmed in the Thai capital.
“The government is facilitating the filming of foreign movies in Thailand and aims to make the nation a ‘film-friendly location’ which would enhance the economy, result in more employment, and lead to the distribution of revenue to all sectors,” he added.
Chai pointed to a cash rebate policy as a leading factor in its success. In January, the TFO announced that any productions with local expenditure of over 560 million baht were eligible for a 15% rebate.
The TFO’s announcement also revealed that foreign filmmakers could enjoy another 5% refund If they either promoted “Thai soft power” or spent over 150 million baht and started production on January 1. The maximum rebate is 150 million baht per project.
The spokesman also said that the Thai Culture Minister, Commerce Minister, and some Thai companies had collaborated to present Thai movies at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 in France, which wraps on May 25.
He said that during the event in France, Thai food and fabrics, especially the pa kao ma (or Thai checkered cloth) are being showcased, adding this would help generate up to a billion in income for the country.
Renowned movies that have been filmed in Thailand include “Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga”, “Extraction 1”, “The Hangover 2”, and “The Meg”.
