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Time Out
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
From Hollywood to Bangkok: Thailand's film boom targets B10 billion revenue
If you've watched enough Hollywood films, you might've noticed that Thailand pops up more often than you'd expect. From action-packed scenes in Tomorrow Never Dies, to the laughs of The Hangover Part II and the dreamy romance of Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love, the country has become a favourite backdrop for international filmmakers. So much so, the Thai government expects over B10 billion in revenue from foreign productions this year alone. According to data from the Department of Tourism's Thailand Film Office (TFO), 279 foreign film projects were shot in the nation between January 1 and June 30, generating B2.8 billion in revenue. These numbers account only for officially permitted productions, which continue to support both the local film industry and the wider tourism sector. Interestingly, the top countries choosing our land for filming aren't from Hollywood. Leading the list are India, South Korea, Japan and China. Popular shooting locations include Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Chon Buri, thanks to their versatile cityscapes and accessibility. So, what makes the kingdom such a cinematic hotspot? A big part of it lies in the diversity of locations. From lush jungles and waterfalls to idyllic islands such as Phuket and Krabi, along with ancient temples, historical towns and futuristic urban settings, it's a filmmaker's dream – all in one place. Beyond the scenery, it's also an affordable destination. Production costs are significantly lower than in the West, local crews and logistics are cost-effective and the favourable exchange rate adds even more value. All of this allows filmmakers to stretch their budgets further with additional special effects or extra shooting days. In 2024, the nation earned B6.6 billion from 491 foreign film productions representing 42 countries. This year, the government is forecasting revenue to reach B10 billion, exceeding its initial target of B7.5 billion and marking a 50% increase from last year. Among recent high-profile shoots, HBO's The White Lotus filmed its latest season here, drawing global attention and a wave of tourists to Koh Samui. Upcoming releases include Jurassic World: Rebirth, now in cinemas and Alien: Earth, a sci-fi series that highlights the capital's urban sprawl, purpose-built sets at Studio Park in Samut Prakan and the scenic landscapes of Surat Thani, Krabi and Phang Nga. While it's still uncertain whether this year's revenue goals will be fully met, one thing is clear: Thailand's growing role as a film location continues to boost its global visibility and tourism appeal. And if you're missing the Land of Smiles, you can satisfy your wanderlust from afar with our roundup of 10 movies to watch when you miss traveling in Thailand.
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Today
Pogacar extends Tour de France lead with dominant time-trial win
cycling By Damian McCALL Tadej Pogacar powered to victory in an uphill time trial on stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday to stretch his lead in the race to more than four minutes. Jonas Vingegard and Remco Evenepoel clung on to their places in the overall top three, but this 10.9km time-trial triumph was defending champion Pogacar's second crushing win in two days. Pogacar was last down the start ramp of the 171 riders setting off and stunned rivals by using a road bike instead of one typically used for time trials. "It's more comfortable and I ride that 95 percent of the year," he explained. "I went without a radio too, there are time clocks along the way so I just looked at them." Decked out in his overall leader's yellow kit, the 26-year-old Team UAE rider was faster from the off, despite his exertions from the previous day, when he finished over two minutes ahead of main rival Vingegaard. "I was feeling good all day, from when I got up. I was planning to go all in from start to finish and that's what I did," said Pogacar, who won the Tour de France in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Pogacar had a sticker of the Hulk comic book superhero on his bike but said after the stage his hero was Spider-Man. "Hulk though, he's the one you don't want to make angry," said Pogacar. By the time he finished stage 13 at the Peyragudes Altiport where the opening scene of the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" was shot, Pogacar was 36 seconds faster than Vingegaard, while Primoz Roglic was third at 1min 20sec. Evenepoel was overtaken close to the line by Vingegaard, but said he was too tired to care. "I was drained," he said, slumped in a chair. "I didn't give a damn when Jonas went past. "I just wanted to finish. To be honest I'm relieved it's over," said the double Olympic champion. Most riders warmed up for the time trial wearing ice jackets to combat the sizzling 30C temperature at the foot of the climb. Australian champion Luke Plapp set the early pace and sat in the hot seat all day before suddenly packing his case and vacating it on seeing Vingegaard storm up the mountain. Pogacar was even faster. At 1580m altitude the ride remained beneath the clouds and below the treeline, but even atop the hill it was punishingly hot. American Quinn Simmons gave hundreds of high-fives on the home straight as one of the rare riders appearing to enjoy the climb. Saturday's stage 14 is another punishing affair with around 50km of climbing but it will likely be raced in rain. It starts with the famous Col de Tourmalet and ends at the Luchon-Superbagneres ski resort. Stage 15 is a hilly run to the walled city of Carcassonne but for Pogacar there remains the spectre of three more massive mountain stages in the final week. There is also the prospect of potential chaos in Paris with three ascents of Montmartre's old cobbled lanes on the final day. © 2025 AFP
eNCA
4 days ago
- Climate
- eNCA
Pogacar extends Tour de France lead with uphill time-trial win
PARIS - Tadej Pogacar won a time trial on stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday to extend his lead at the top of the overall standings to four minutes and seven seconds. Jonas Vingegard and Remco Evenepoel kept their places in the overall top three, but this 10.9km time-trial triumph was defending champion Pogacar's second crushing win in two days. Pogacar was last down the start ramp of the 171 riders setting off from the bottom of the Peyragudes mountain. Decked out in his overall leader's yellow kit, the 26-year-old Team UAE rider was faster from the off despite his exertions from the previous day, when he finished over two minutes ahead of main rival Vingegaard. By the time he finished at the Peyragudes Altiport, where the opening scene of the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" was shot, Pogacar was 36sec faster than Vingegaard, while Primoz Roglic was third at 1min 20sec. Riders warmed up for the time trial wearing ice jackets to combat the sizzling 30C temperature at the foot of the climb. Australian champion Luke Plapp set the early pace and sat in the hot seat all day before suddenly packing his case and vacating it on seeing Vingegaard storm up the mountain. Pogacar was even faster. At 1580m altitude the ride remained beneath the clouds and below the treeline, but even atop the hill it was punishingly hot. American Quinn Simmons gave hundreds of high-fives on the home straight as one of the rare riders appearing to enjoy the climb. Saturday's stage 14 is another punishing affair with around 50km of climbing, starting with the famous Col de Tourmalet and ending at the Luchon-Superbagneres ski resort.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
Tour de France: Pogacar dominates stage 13 time trial to extend lead
Tadej Pogacar powered to victory in an uphill time trial on stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday, July 18, to stretch his lead in the race to more than four minutes. Jonas Vingegard and Remco Evenepoel clung on to their places in the overall top three, but this 10.9km time-trial triumph was defending champion Pogacar's second crushing win in two days. Pogacar was last down the start ramp of the 171 riders setting off and stunned rivals by using a road bike instead of one typically used for time trials. "It's more comfortable and I ride that 95% of the year," he explained. "I went without a radio too, there are time clocks along the way so I just looked at them." Decked out in his overall leader's yellow kit, the 26-year-old Team UAE rider was faster from the off, despite his exertions from the previous day, when he finished over two minutes ahead of main rival Vingegaard. "I was feeling good all day, from when I got up. I was planning to go all in from start to finish and that's what I did," said Pogacar, who won the Tour de France in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Pogacar had a sticker of the Hulk comic book superhero on his bike but said after the stage that his hero was Spider-Man. "Hulk though, he's the one you don't want to make angry," said Pogacar. By the time he finished stage 13 at the Peyragudes Altiport, where the opening scene of the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was shot, Pogacar was 36 seconds faster than Vingegaard, while Primoz Roglic was third at 1min 20sec. Evenepoel was overtaken close to the line by Vingegaard, but said he was too tired to care. "I was drained," he said, slumped in a chair. "I didn't give a damn when Jonas went past." "I just wanted to finish. To be honest, I'm relieved it's over," said the double Olympic champion. Saturday's stage 14 is another punishing affair with around 50 km of climbing, but it will likely be raced in the rain. It starts with the famous Col de Tourmalet and ends at the Luchon-Superbagneres ski resort. Stage 15 is a hilly run to the walled city of Carcassonne but for Pogacar there remains the spectre of three more massive mountain stages in the final week. There is also the prospect of potential chaos in Paris with three ascents of Montmartre's old cobbled lanes on the final day.
Tom's Guide
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
7 best Pierce Brosnan movies, ranked
With four James Bond movies under his belt, Pierce Brosnan's place in film history is already secure. The 72-year-old Irishman played the suave 007 four times, including "GoldenEye" (1995), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "The World Is Not Enough" (1999) and "Die Another Day" (2002). But beyond that shaken-not-stirred world of spy action and sexual tension, the County Louth native has proven to be a varied actor, from disaster flicks ("Dante's Peak") to political thrillers ("The Thomas Crown Affair") to dark comedies ("The Matador") to splashy song-and-dance spectacles (the "Mamma Mia" franchise), shiftily using his considerable charisma and movie-star looks to seduce, scare or subdue. And it doesn't seem like the star is slowing down anytime soon. This year alone saw him play the patriarch of a London crime family in the Paramount Plus show "MobLand" opposite Helen Mirren; a law-abiding Western sheriff in "Unholy Trinity" opposite Samuel L. Jackson; a spy boss in Steven Soderbergh's "Black Bag" with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender; and Pontius Pilate himself in the Christian animated flick "King of Kings." With his IMDb page seemingly ever-growing, we ranked the seven best Pierce Brosnan movies. One of the latest entries on Brosnan's decades-spanning filmography is this 2025 Steven Soderbergh-directed espionage thriller, starring Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Burke and Marisa Abele as MI6 operatives all questioning each other's varying degrees of loyalty. Brosnan has a relatively small but vital part in the acclaimed spy drama (which has a cool 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its sleek design, dry wit and megawatt performers) as the spies' boss Arthur Stieglitz, bringing a good deal of mystery and menace to a role that smartly subverts the actor's own iconic spy screen lineage. Watch on Peacock now Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Two icons of Irish cinema, Brosnan and Liam Neeson, come together for this 2006 action Western that focuses on a bloody bounty hunt in post-Civil War America. Brosnan plays Gideon, a former Union officer who finds himself the prey of a vengeful manhunt led by a Confederate colonel, Carver (Neeson), trying desperately to survive in the snowy Ruby Mountains whilst on the run. Though the film as a whole didn't wow critics (the "brutal, slow-moving drama" has a 56% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Brosnan's individual performance was praised: "Neeson is all 'true grit', but Brosnan has the meatier role—practically doubled over with guilt," writes Stella Papamichael for the BBC, while The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw proclaims "the cunning, resourceful, ruthlessly violent Brosnan gives his best performance for a long time." Rent/buy on Amazon or Apple Based on the 2001 novel "Gun Monkeys" by Victor Gischler, this 2023 action thriller sees Brosnan play the titular Charlie Swift (fast Charlie, get it?), a fixer-slash-hitman for Orlando-based mob boss Stan Mullen (James Caan) whose dangerous 9-to-5 gets even more precarious when a rival mobster from Miami puts a hit out on Stan and his crew. Charlie, the sole survivor of the attack, teams up with mob wife Marcie (Morena Baccarin) to exact revenge. "Thanks largely to Pierce Brosnan's charming work in the title role, 'Fast Charlie' is a slickly watchable thriller that engages despite its standard story," reads the critical consensus over on Rotten Tomatoes, where the crime drama boasts a healthy 83% approval rating. For the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper particularly praised the actor's "wry sense of humor," deployed in one of his "signature cool and economically effective performances," for elevating the hitman flick. Watch on Hulu now Though largely a dramatic actor, Brosnan held his own against a true comedy genius — the late, great Robin Williams — in the beloved, broad-humored 1993 classic "Mrs. Doubtfire," with Williams playing Daniel Hillard, a recently divorced voice actor who disguises himself as an elderly female housekeeper in order to spend time with his children. As Stu Dunmeyer, the suave hunky new love interest of Daniel's ex Miranda (Sally Field), Brosnan excellently played the humorless straight man part opposite Williams's comedic supernova, gamely remaining steady as Robin's improvs and Daniel's antics ("It was a drive-by fruiting!") whirled around him. Watch on Disney Plus now First and foremost, yes, this 2010 political thriller was directed by Roman Polanski and yes, we feel icky about it, too. But it does feature a standout performance by Brosnan, who plays Adam Lang, the former British Prime Minister who commissions a nameless ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) to complete his memoirs after the previous biographer died in a supposed drowning accident. As McGregor's character becomes enveloped in Lang's world, the former PM's dark and murky political dealings come to light. Benefitting from "stylish direction, a tense screenplay, and a strong central performance from Ewan McGregor," "The Ghost Writer" has an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but Brosnan also deserves some individual kudos for the unsettling mercuriality and icy power he brings to his Tony Blair-esque character. Watch on Peacock now It's a bold move to try and step into the shoes of screen legend Steve McQueen; ditto Faye Dunaway. But both Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo did just that in the 1999 remake of the classic romantic heist flick "The Thomas Crown Affair." As the titular Thomas Crown — a billionaire thief who steals a painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and falls for the gorgeous insurance investigator (Russo) pursuing the criminal — Brosnan brings a relaxed sensuality and elegant confidence to the role, which is well-matched by his magnetic co-lead. It's an easy, enjoyable cat-and-mouse watch: "Sleek, stylish, and painlessly diverting, 'The Thomas Crown Affair' is a remake of uncommon charm," reads Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus. Watch on Tubi now This one's kind of a cheat, because honestly you can put any of Brosnan's Bond appearances high on the list (we're also partial to "Tomorrow Never Dies"), but "GoldenEye" was his first and a memorable introduction at that, showcasing the mix of physical power and personal charm that the Irishman would bring to one of film's most famous characters. Directed by Martin Campbell, the 1995 installment is widely considered Brosnan's best showing as the fictional MI6 agent, with Roger Ebert (for the Chicago Sun-Times) praising the actor's take as "somehow more sensitive, more vulnerable, more psychologically complete" than his predecessors. Ebert also noted that Brosnan brought more warmth to the usually "cold and dispassionate" agent: "Brosnan's Bond looks at home in the casinos of Monte Carlo, but he's more knowing, more aware of relationships." Rent/buy on Amazon
