Malaysian action comedy Polis Evo has given the local film industry a much-needed boost, grossing $1.8m (RM8m) in 11 days, to become the highest-grossing local film of 2015.

Released on September 17 on 100 screens, the Astro Shaw production grossed $566,000 (RM2.5m) over its opening weekend and reached $1.8m at the end of its first full week.

The strong results place the film at eighth position in the all-time top ten of Malaysian films, behind Astro Shaw’s own Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah, which was released in 2010. Reviews of Polis Evo in Malaysian press and social media have been positive.

Directed by Ghaz Abu Bakar, Polis Evo stars comedian and TV star Zizan Razak, who has also appeared in hit films such as KL Gangster, along with actor Shaheizy Sam (Songlap). The duo play cops on the trail of a druglord.

“The original story and script were written by our in-house writers, who also received the Astro Scholarship Awards, an annual scholarship programme that started 10 years ago. So for us, we believe that this is an investment in creative talent that is starting to pay off,” said Astro Shaw’s vice president, business development, Najwa Abu Bakar.

Local industry execs are hoping the film is the start of a turnaround after a quiet year for domestic production. By comparison the top local film for 2015 so far is Chinese New Year comedy My Papa Rich, a Singapore-Malaysia co-production, which took $688,000 (RM3m).

Astro Shaw is attending this week’s Asian Film Market in Busan with a slate that also includes Suamiku, Encik Perfect 10!, Villa Nabila, Pilot Cafe and superhero movie Cicakman 3.

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