TRUTH IS OUT: FANN'S FILM IS TOPS

ANOTHER hit seems inevitable for the Singapore film industry.

Raintree Pictures' latest movie, The Truth About Jane And Sam, scored a home run when it opened last Thursday.

By Sunday, it had pulled in $446,555, an amount that includes sneak-preview takings the weekend before.

On last weekend's top 10 list, The Truth About Jane And Sam is the No. 1 movie here.

According to its distributor United International Pictures, the film, which stars homegrown television star Fann Wong and Taiwanese actor Peter Ho, did very well for a Mandarin romance.

In fact, Hongkong director Derek Yee's movie outperformed recent Hollywood films like Forces Of Nature, which made $320,304 during its opening and sneak previews.

EdTV, the recent Ron Howard movie, earned $229,729.

UIP's managing director Roger Pollock said that like Liang Po Po, Raintree's previous offering which made $3.03 million, Fann's debut film is in the "million-dollar club".

An aggressive marketing campaign, with numerous TV and radio spots, have been cited by observers as the key to the box-office success of The Truth About Jane And Sam, which cost $1.2 million to make.

Mr Daniel Yun, Raintree's CEO, commented: "At first, people said that The Truth About Jane And Sam is not commercial enough; that it is art-house.

"But if you look at the script and Derek Yee's approach, it clearly isn't."

"The box-office is an indication of its popularity among movie-goers."