Small market, global competition: can Singapore’s filmmakers break out abroad?

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel worth it to spend three hours on a movie, so it’s better to watch it at home where there is an option to fast-forward,” said Ong, 26. “I have to juggle working out and meeting up with friends in my free time, so I’ll go [to the cinema] only if I really want the full experience.”

Such shifts in viewing habits have narrowed cinema audiences in Singapore, shrinking the box office base that local films rely on to recoup costs and attract backing.

The trend has compounded pressures from relatively high production costs, a small domestic market and intensifying competition from global streaming content – factors that industry players say have made it increasingly difficult for local projects to get off the ground.

Those challenges are among the reasons the government has stepped in with funding support for the industry, positioning international co-productions as a way to expand financing options, tap wider markets and improve the global visibility of Singapore-made stories.

Industry professionals told This Week in Asia that the emphasis on co-productions spoke to these constraints, particularly the difficulty of competing for attention and financing in a crowded international market.