Chinese film 'Dear You' expands global release to Southeast Asia

The acclaimed Chinese film Dear You officially expanded its global release on June 18, opening in cinemas across Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, as well as China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

The Southeast Asian rollout follows a highly successful Chinese mainland run, where the film has grossed over 1.7 billion yuan (approximately $251 million) since its April 30 premiere.

The film, which centers on the historic tradition of "qiaopi", letters and remittances sent home by overseas Chinese in the 19th and 20th centuries, has sparked a wave of nostalgia among Southeast Asian Chinese communities.

In Singapore, tickets for the original Teochew dialect version sold out in just 90 minutes ahead of the June 17 premiere, with 24 out of the city-state's 26 cinemas scheduling screenings. In Malaysia, the film is set to hit over 100 cinemas across east and west Malaysia, featuring more than 500 screenings.

The emotional resonance of the film was evident at a special preview event held in Kuala Lumpur on June 15, where the venue was transformed into a cultural exhibition displaying original qiaopi, vintage postal boxes, and vintage luggage.

Many attendees brought their own family's decades-old letters to share. Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing noted at the event that the film turns the quiet, unspoken stories of overseas Chinese ancestors into a vivid way for younger generations to connect with their cultural roots.

Malaysian Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Chiew Choon Man also praised the screening event, stating that the qiaopi culture carried the deep longing of people living far from home and now serves as a precious collective memory.

For generations, people from the Chaoshan region in today's Guangdong and Fujian provinces departed for Southeast Asia to escape war and poverty. Between 1864 and 1911, nearly three million people left the region, according to local customs records. The qiaopi archives, which serve as the emotional backbone of the film, were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2013.

Following its Southeast Asian release, Dear You will continue its global tour, arriving in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on June 25. The film is also expected to roll out across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan.