logo
Malay Mail's Top 10 Picks: Live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon' dominates cinemas, while ‘Ejen Ali The Movie 2' creates buzz

Malay Mail's Top 10 Picks: Live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon' dominates cinemas, while ‘Ejen Ali The Movie 2' creates buzz

Malay Maila day ago

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — The live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon continues to dominate the local box office for the second consecutive week, with Ejen Ali The Movie 2: Misi Satria holding strong at No. 2. Both films remain crowd-pullers, captivating audiences eager for a memorable cinematic experience.
Recent releases like 28 Years Later and Pixar's latest offering, Elio, have also garnered attention, with Elio receiving particularly favourable reviews.
As the final week of June approaches, it's the perfect time to catch the latest films in cinemas, revisit fan favourites, or explore top-notch entertainment options from the comfort of your home. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Viu, trending playlists on Spotify, and popular books offer plenty of alternatives for a relaxed weekend.
Check out Malay Mail's top picks of the week for your entertainment fix!
Top 10 films in local cinemas (Domestic & International) (June 19 to June 22)
1. How To Train Your Dragon
2. Ejen Ali The Movie 2: Misi Satria
3. 28 Years Later
4. Kuberaa
5. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
6. Elio
7. From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina
8. Waktu Maghrib 2
9. Behind The Shadows
10. Martabat: Misi Berdarah
Source: Cinema.com and GSC
Top 10 streaming on Netflix and Viu (June 16 to June 22)
Netflix (Top 10 TV)
TV Series
1. Mercy For None: Limited Series
2. Oh My Ghost Clients: Season 1
3. Our Unwritten Seoul: Limited Series
4. The Rookie: Season 1
5. Tastefully Yours: Limited Series
6. Ejen Ali: Season 1
7. Ejen Ali: Season 2
8. The Haunted Palace: Season 1
9. Ms. Rachel: Season 1
10. Mad Unicorn: Limited Series
Source: Netflix Top 10
Viu (Top 10 shows)
1. Lambaian Huda
2. Sugar Daddy
3. The Haunted Palace
4. Running Man (2025)
5. The First Night with the Duke
6. Pabila Dia Tersenyum
7. Feud
8. Second Shot at Love
9. Only for Love
10. Fresh off the Sea 2
Source: Viu
Top 10 songs of the week (Spotify) (June 17 to June 25)
1. Jin - Don't Say You Love Me
2. Fourtwnty - Mangu (w/ Charita Utami)
3. Naim Daniel - Seni Berdamai Dengan Takdir (w/ Adnin Roslan)
4. sombr - back to friends
5. HUNTR/X - Golden (w/ Ejae, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
6. KATSEYE - Gabriela
7. NIKI - You'll Be in My Heart - Spotify Singles
8. Saja Boys - Your Idol (w/ Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee, KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
9. Saja Boys - Soda Pop (w/ Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee, KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
10. RUMI - Free (w/ Jinu, Ejae, Andrew Choi, KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
Top 10 Malay songs of the week (Spotify) (June 17 to June 25)
1. Faris Adam - Stecu Stecu
2. Ara Johari - Menjaga Jodoh Orang Lain
3. Nadeera - Bukan Lagi Kita
4. Imran Ajmain - Seribu Tahun Lagi
5. Batas Senja - Kita Usahakan Lagi
6. Naim Daniel, Adnin Roslan - Seni Berdamai Dengan Takdir
7. Noh Salleh - Rahsia Tuhan
8. NayKilla, Tenxi, Jemsii - Kasih Aba Aba
9. Zaki Yamami, Putri Dahlia - Aku Ada
10. Nuh - Teruntuk Mia
Source: kworb.net and Spotify
Top 10 books of the week (June 13 to June 19)
Fiction
1. Library of Lost Hearts by N.F. Afrina (N.F Afrina)
2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Vintage)
3. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
4. King of Envy by Ana Huang (Bloom Books)
5. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum (Bloomsbury)
6. Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (Berkley)
7. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (Flatiron Books)
8. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower Books)
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
10. Powerless by Lauren Roberts (simon & schuster books for young readers)
Non-Fiction
1. Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson (St. Martin's Essentials)
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Penguin Books)
3. A Doctor in the House by Mahathir Mohamad (MPH Group Publishing)
4. When I Was a Kid by Cheeming Boey (Cheeming Boey)
5. Surrounded by Liars by Thomas Erikson (St. Martin's Essentials)
6. I Want to Die but I still Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee (Penerbit Haru)
7. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee (Penerbit Haru)
8. A Conversation with Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad by Perdana Leadership Foundation (Perdana Leadership Foundation)
9. Once Upon a Miao (Remastered): I Love My Hometown by Jian Goh (Space Voyager Log PLT)
10. The Not To-Do List by Rolf Dobelli (Atlantic Books)
Mutiara Minda (Malay Novels)
1. Thariq Ridzuwan Commando's: His Treasure by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
2. Bukan Cinta Sempurna by Bellesa (Idea Kreatif)
3. Rahsia Danny by Teme Abdullah (Iman Publication)
4. Pesuruh by Ahadiat Akashah (Roket Kertas Produksi)
5. Kaisar by Jiwa (Nukilan Biruni)
6. Mi Carino by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
7. Chef's Cuisine by Effalee (Manes Wordworks)
8. Ammar Zahrain: The Obsessive Husband by Nssignature (Idea Kreatif)
9. Rumah Untuk Alie by Lenn Liu (Nukilan biruni)
10. Bintang Tanpa Nama by Ainulfarihah (Jiwa)
Source: MPH

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Not (just) like Jennie: ‘KPop Demon Hunters' director/writer clarifies Blacpink's Jennie only one of many references
Not (just) like Jennie: ‘KPop Demon Hunters' director/writer clarifies Blacpink's Jennie only one of many references

Malay Mail

timean hour ago

  • Malay Mail

Not (just) like Jennie: ‘KPop Demon Hunters' director/writer clarifies Blacpink's Jennie only one of many references

SEOUL, June 28 —There has been a lot of online speculation as to which K-pop idol specifically inspired the K-pop idol groups Huntrix and Saja Boys in Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters. The show has proven to be quite a hit, with a very warm reception from K-pop fans. Unfortunately, if there's one thing fans are a little too good at is starting conflicts between fandoms, so it's not surprising that writer and director of the show Maggie Kang decided to clear the air in a post on X. 'Rumi was inspired by many leading ladies, some not even K-Pop. Names are going around (individual idols + groups) bc we only said 'yes' as they were mentioned by interviewer to us but list of inspo for both Huntr/x & Saja Boys is endless. This has been clarified by us to press,' Kang said. She said it in a post quoting an X account stating that the character Rumi of Huntrix was reportedly inspired by Blackpink's Jennie. Rumi was inspired by many leading ladies, some not even K-Pop. Names are going around (individual idols + groups) bc we only said 'yes' as they were mentioned by interviewer to us but list of inspo for both Huntr/x & Saja Boys is endless. This has been clarified by us to press. — Maggie Kang (@maggiemkang) June 27, 2025 Some Blackpink fans were upset by Kang's post, with one fan accusing her of 'targeting Jennie alone' and complaining that she 'quoted a tweet about BTS' before posting about it. Hopefully the online vitriol doesn't scare off Kang from making more stories from the Kpop Demon Hunters universe. Right now Netflix is already selling merchandise from the show and has even opened preorders for a plush version of the blue tiger Derpy.

Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'
Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'

Pixar knew that Elio (pic), an original space adventure, would most likely struggle in its first weekend at the box office. Animated movies based on original stories have become harder sells in theatres, even for the once-unstoppable Pixar. At a time when streaming services have proliferated and the broader economy is unsettled, families want assurance that spending the money for tickets will be worth it. But the turnout for Elio was worse – much worse – than even Pixar had expected. The film cost at least US$250mil to make and market. It collected an estimated US$21mil from the evening of June 19 to June 22 at theatres in North America, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data. It was Pixar's worst opening-weekend result. The previous bottom was Elemental , which arrived to US$30mil in 2023. In May, when the Elio marketing campaign began to hit high gear, Pixar and its corporate owner, Disney, had hoped that it would, in the worst-case scenario, match the Elemental number. Instead, it fell 30% short. In wide release overseas, Elio collected an additional US$14mil, on a par with the initial international results for Elemental . Quality did not appear to be a factor. Reviews for Elio were mostly positive, and ticket buyers gave the movie an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 91% positive on June 22. On June 22, Disney said it hoped a broader audience would find Elio over the coming weeks. The company pointed to Elemental , which overcame weak initial sales to ultimately collect nearly US$500mil worldwide. – ©2025 The New York Times Company

‘Just another human being': Dalai Lama's enduring grace, in his translator's words
‘Just another human being': Dalai Lama's enduring grace, in his translator's words

Malay Mail

time7 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

‘Just another human being': Dalai Lama's enduring grace, in his translator's words

NEW DELHI, June 28 — With his flowing red monk's robes, beaming smile and contagious laugh, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has been the charismatic global face of his people's cause for decades. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk, Tenzin Gyatso, is expected to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6 with huge crowds in northern India, his base since leaving his homeland fleeing Chinese troops in 1959. While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a 'simple Buddhist monk'. Thupten Jinpa, his translator of nearly four decades, described a man who uses humour to calm, fierce intellect to debate, and combines self-discipline with tolerance of others. 'He's never deluded by being extraordinary,' said Jinpa, an eminent Buddhist scholar born in Tibet. The Dalai Lama treats those he meets in the same manner whether they are a president or a peasant, world leader or Hollywood star. 'When he's getting ready to go and see a president or a prime minister, everybody around him is all getting nervous he's just completely relaxed,' said Jinpa, who is now a professor at Montreal's McGill University. 'Once I asked him how is it that he's not nervous, and he said, basically, 'the person I'm meeting is just another human being, just like me!'' 'Self-confidence and humility' Despite being revered as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role stretching back more than 600 years, he does not act with a sense of superiority. 'He is one of the most self-confident people I've ever met in my life,' Jinpa said. 'Self-confidence and humility generally don't go together that well, but in him, they sit beautifully.' Jinpa highlighted the Dalai Lama's ability to bring people together through his 'contagious' sense of humour and famous giggling 'individual laugh'. 'He uses humour immediately, so he has this ability to make you feel at ease.' But the translator also described a man who applied the rigorous education and skills of philosophical debate learned as a monk to address the challenges of a complex world. 'He's gone through a formal academic training,' said Jinpa, who himself studied as a monk and holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. 'So when he's sitting down with scientists and philosophers and thinkers in deep conversation, his ability to get to the gist, and ask the question that points towards the next challenge, is an amazing display of his focus.' Jinpa described a man who pursues an austere monastic life with 'very high discipline'. 'He gets up at 3:30am and has meditation. He doesn't eat after lunch, which is one of the precepts of monastic ethics,' he said. 'He has always maintained this strictly.' While he was born to a farming family, the Dalai Lama grew up in Lhasa's Potala Palace, a vast building reputed to have 1,000 rooms. Since then he has spent much of his life in a hilltop monastic complex in India's town of McLeod Ganj. 'His bedroom is actually a small corridor between two large rooms, doors on the two sides, and a three-by-six single bed attached to the wall, and next to it is a shower cubicle — and that's it,' Jinpa said. 'He has got his photographs of his gurus, teachers, above his bed — very simple.' 'Non-judgement' But the Dalai Lama balances that toughness towards himself with softness for those he meets. 'Generally, when people are more pious, more disciplined, more pure, they also tend to be less tolerant,' Jinpa said. 'A lot of the intolerance really comes from puritanism in the world, whether it's religious or ideology,' he added. 'But again, in him, this understanding and non-judgement towards others — and expectation of a high standard for himself — it sits beautifully.' Jinpa added that as the holder of a centuries-old institution, the Dalai Lama places his people before himself. 'In all the negotiations that he has had with China, he has constantly made the point that the issue is not about his return, or his status,' he said. 'The issue is about the Tibetan people — there are over six million of us,' said Jinpa. 'Their ability to be self-governing on the Tibetan plateau, which is their historical home, and their ability to exist with dignity as a distinct people within the People's Republic of China.' — AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store