Malay Mail's Top 10 Picks: Indian action thriller ‘Vidaamuyarchi' starring legendary Ajith Kumar tops Malaysian box office, highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025
Loosely inspired by the 1997 American film Breakdown, it is currently the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025.
It isn't the only international blockbuster worth your attention, as you can catch exciting releases such as Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force in cinemas, or if you're in the mood for a nail-biting thriller, the Indonesian film Perayaan Mati Rasa might just be the perfect pick.
Whether you're spending the weekend with a special someone or enjoying a solo movie night, there's something for everyone.
Malay Mail has you covered with a curated list of the top 10 local and international films, streaming series, music and books of the week for you to check out!
Top 10 films in local cinemas (Domestic & International) (February 6 to February 9)
Vidaamuyarchi
Close Ur Kopitiam
Money Games
Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force
Perayaan Mati Rasa
Detective Chinatown 1900
Dajal: Satu Malam Dipedajal
The Bayou
OMG! Mom's Big News
I Want To Be Boss
Source: Cinema.com and GSC
Top 10 streaming on Netflix and Viu (February 3 to February 9)
Netflix (Top 10 TV)
TV Series
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call: Season 1
SAKAMOTO DAYS: Season 1
BoBoiBoy Galaxy: Gentar: Gentar
Squid Game: Season 2
Solo Leveling: Season 1
Love Scout: Season 1
Single's Inferno: Season 4
Prison Cell 211: Season 1
Ms. Rachel: Season 1
Metro Crime Series: Season 1
Source: Netflix Top 10
Viu (Top 10 shows)
Study Group
Gadis Masa
Running Man (2025)
Family By Choice
Di Hatiku Ada Kamu
High School Return of a Gangster
The Tale of Lady Ok
Namib
Only for Love
Guardians of the Dafeng
Source: Viu Frontpage
Top 10 songs of the week (Spotify) (February 5 to February 12)
Tenxi — Garam & Madu (Sakit Dadaku) (w/ Jemsi, Naykilla)
Lady Gaga — Die With A Smile (w/ Bruno Mars)
yung kai — blue
Kendrick Lamar — luther
Billie Eilish — WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish — BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Ara Johari — Menjaga Jodoh Orang Lain
The Lantis — Bunga Maaf
Andmesh — Anugerah Terindah
ROSÉ — APT. (w/ Bruno Mars)
Top 10 Malay songs of the week (Spotify) (February 5 to February 12)
Tenxi — Garam & Madu (Sakit Dadaku) (w/ Jemsi, Naykilla)
Noh Salleh — Rahsia Tuhan
Insomniacks — Reminiscence
The Lantis — Bunga Maaf
Ara Johari — Menjaga Jodoh Orang Lain
Amir Masdi — Nurcinta
Andmesh — Anugerah Terindah
Black Hanifah — Hijab Rindu
Nadeera — Bukan Lagi Kita
NAKI, Fahimi — Masa
Source: kworb.net, Spotify Top Songs — Malaysia and Spotify Carta Malaysia
Top 10 books of the week (January 31 to February 6)
Fiction
The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida (Orion)
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum (Bloomsbury)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower Books)
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber )
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (HarperCollins)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Changbi Publishers)
The Crash by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books)
Powerless by Lauren Roberts (Simon & Schuster)
Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Futabasha)
Non-Fiction
Atomic Habits by James Clear (Penguin Books)
How Was Your Day by Cheeming Boey (GREY PIGEON)
Once Upon a Miao 4: My School Holidays by Jian Goh & Cheeming Boey (Goh Kheng Swee)
Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson (St. Martin's Essentials)
Misgovernance by Edmund Terence Gomez (Penguin Books)
When Things Don't Go Your Way by Haemin Sunim (Penguin Life)
I Decided to Live as Me by Kim Suhyun (Apop Books)
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene (Penguin Books)
Malayland by Dina Zaman (Ethos Books / Faction Press)
Second Takeoff by Liew Chin Tong (World Scientific)
Mutiara Minda (Malay Novels)
Thariq Ridzuwan Commando's: His Treasure by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
Yes! Captain Zul Aaryan by Wnfhanna (Idea Kreatif)
Ammar Zahrain: The Obsessive Husband by Nssignature (idea kreatif)
Mi Veneno 1 by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
Mi Veneno 2 by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
Bayang Sofea by Teme Abdullah (Iman Publication)
Siapa Sangka Terjatuh Cinta by Violetfasha (Iman Publication)
Tuan Ziyad: Forbidden Love by Bellesa (Idea Kreatif)
Mi Diosa by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
Lelaki Astatine by Anjell (KARYASENI)
Source: MPH
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More than half of the victims were employees. Many of the customers in the building at the time of collapse, in the early evening, were women shopping for dinner groceries. The episodes include interviews with some of the survivors of the incident, including then 18-year-old store clerk Yoo Ji-hwan, who was pulled from the wreckage almost 12 days after the initial collapse. The docu-series also includes interviews with some of the people who lost family members in the disaster, and people who assisted in the rescue efforts. The collapse came about as a result of shoddy construction that knowingly broke safety requirements in place at the time. The company originally contracted to build the massive, flat-slab structure left the project after Lee Joon, chairman of the Sampoong Group's construction division, demanded changes to the design that would allow for a more spacious floor plan. Subsequent investigations determined the building was not structurally sound, and was bound to collapse. As much as two months prior to the collapse, employees had noticed a large crack on the roof of the top floor, where the building had begun to crumble. On the day of the collapse, the structural damage became more obvious. As the docu-series recounts, department store management held an emergency meeting at 3pm, roughly three hours before the collapse, to determine if they should close down and evacuate the building. Led by Lee, they voted only to close the fifth floor, wanting to wait until after work hours to inspect the building. Lee didn't want to lose business. Emergency alarms were sounded at 5:50pm, and employees started evacuating shoppers. Two minutes later, the roof and fifth floor of the south wing collapsed, triggering a catastrophic collapse all the way to the basement floors. Lee was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and served seven years, six months in prison. His son, Lee Han-sang, who was also president of the store, was convicted of corruption and accidental homicide. Two city planners were convicted of taking bribes. Two months after the collapse, Lee Joon and Lee Han-sang offered the entirety of the Sampoong Group's wealth to help compensate the victims and their families. The former site of the department store houses a luxury high-rise apartment building, despite requests from the victims' families that a memorial be built. Impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol lived in the building before and after his truncated term as president. Echoes of Survivors' builds some connective tissue between incidents like the Sampoong Department Store collapse and more recent Korean disasters, including the Sewol ferry disaster, as preventable manmade tragedies driven by greed. Like other moments in the eight installments, it is left to the viewer to decide how effectively the docu-series walks the line between civic-minded investigative journalism designed to hold power to account and the sensationalization of tragedy for entertainment value.
