13 Sep – After the huge disappointment regarding Malaysia's first 3D stereoscopic film "29 Februari" in the local box office, KRU Studios' Executive President, Norman Abdul Halim, is now putting all his hopes on Ghaz Abu Bakar's directorial debut, "Hantu Kapcai". For those who are unaware, the comedy starring popular local actor Zizan Razak is produced by Showbiz Productions, KRU Studios' new sister company. "Well, I didn't really expect that our first stereoscopic 3D film, "29 Februari", to achieve such poor results. We were banking on the film's patriotic theme and 3D effects to pull in audiences for its Merdeka release date. Maybe that was why it flopped. We had too high expectations for it. It is disappointing for us so I hope "Hantu Kapcai" will bring back our revenue through the box office," said Norman. "We are trying to divide our productions of movies to focus on different genres for different companies so that we can ensure the quality of our works. We have decided that KRU Studios will focus more on producing fantasy and CGI-laden films, so we created a new brand under KRU, Showbiz Productions, in order to produce comedy, horror and niche films that are more grounded in reality," explained Norman. Aside from "Hantu Kapcai", four new films are being produced under Showbiz Productions. All four are currently in post-production stages.
Despite the film's illegal street racing theme, Norman insisted that "Hantu Kapcai" delivers positive messages to the audience. "Even though the story is about Mat Rempits, we are sending out positive messages to our audiences through its negative context in the film. I think audiences would prefer to watch something that is close to their hearts and daily lives, which is why we didn't film it like a documentary. Things like being in debt and illegal street racing can be presented in a comedic way as well, which will make it easier for us to get the lesson across to the public," said Norman. Ghaz, the film's director added, "To me, "Hantu Kapcai" has a very good story. I hope my film can bring more people to the cinemas by reminding them about the excitement when they discover that they are watching something good on the big screen." "Hantu Kapcai" stars Zizan Razak, Remy Ishak, Fizz Fairuz, Hairulazreen, Neelofa, Izzue Islam and Riz Amin. The lead, Ajib (Razak) is a mat rempit with financial problems, thus he participates in illegal drag races in order to win fast cash. Unfortunately, he dies in a race as a result of his rival Tiger's (Ishak) actions. Discontented, he appears as a ghost to his family and friends in order to encourage his brother Akim (Hairulazreen) to take revenge for him. "Hantu Kapcai" will be released in Malaysia and Brunei on 27 September.