Reassessing Skim Wajib Tayang in post-covid Malaysian cinema: policy goals vs box office realities

This dissertation revisits critically the relevance and effectiveness of Skim Wajib Tayang (Compulsory Screening Scheme) in Malaysian cinema during the post-COVID-19 era. Launched in 2005 to make local films accessible for theatrical release, the scheme was intended to cultivate national cinema, creative industries, and cultural representation. Even so, following the trauma of changing viewing patterns, the spike in streaming services, and the patchy industry recovery from pandemic shocks, the scheme has become a contentious policy tool. The debate is not simply one of screen availability but of tensions between cultural policy and economic viability. Players in the industry such as producers and filmmakers have countered that while the scheme was intended to protect local cinema, at other times it has created quota dependency and not creativity or improved film quality. Policymakers see it as being justified as protection of culture for the country, but distributors and exhibitors point to diminished box office value and apathy among viewers. These conflicts raise critical questions: has Skim Wajib Tayang failed to shield local cinema, constrained innovation by privileging quantity over quality, or simply become irrelevant in an era where audiences increasingly bypass cinemas altogether? This research combines qualitative interviewing of filmmakers, policy-makers, and distributors with quantitative box office trends and pattern analysis (2020–2025). Grounded in cultural policy theories, creative industries research, and economics of film, it assesses the scheme's commercial and cultural impact. By positioning Skim Wajib Tayang within national cinema survival issues, cultural protectionism, and globalisation, this dissertation has answers not only pertinent to the academy but to Malaysian policymakers such as FINAS. The findings will not only inform future cultural policy reforms but also offer an academic perspective to a practitioner-led industry discussion of the urgent issue of whether Skim Wajib Tayang remains a cultural guardian or commercial barrier. your abstract here. Use single spacing. Abstracts are typically written in a range of 250 to 300 words. The abstract should be clear, descriptive, and provide brief information about the problem. A statement regarding the methodology and a summary of results should generally follow this. The abstract should conclude with a comment on the significance of the results or a summary.