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KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — South Korean thriller Colony continues its box-office reign, holding on to the No. 1 spot for a third consecutive week, while local horror hit Polong has climbed to second after grossing RM12 million in just 11 days of release.

Meanwhile, buzzy Hollywood titles Backrooms and Masters of the Universe are drawing positive reviews, giving Malaysian cinemagoers even more reason to head back to theatres.

On the streaming front, K-dramas are once again dominating viewing charts, with Teach You a Lesson leading Netflix rankings while Reborn Rookie tops the list on Viu.

Over on Disney+, audiences are showing strong interest in series including Alice & Steve and Best of the World with Antoni Porowski.

From binge-worthy series and blockbuster films to fresh music releases and page-turning reads, there’s plenty to keep you entertained this weekend.

As always, Malay Mail rounds up the standout entertainment picks worth adding to your watchlist, playlist and reading pile.

Top 10 films in local cinemas (Domestic & International) (June 4 to 7)

1. Colony
2. Polong
3. Backrooms
4. Masters Of The Universe
5. 5 Bomoh
6. The Furious: Pertaruhan Maruah
7. Tarung: Unforgiven
8. The Sheep Detectives
9. Parimala And Co
10. The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act

Source: Cinema.com and GSC

Top 10 streaming (June 1 to 7)

Netflix (Top 10 TV)

TV Series

1. Teach You a Lesson: Limited Series
2. Bapa Mentuaku Mafia: Season 1
3. Good Boys Go to Heaven: Season 1
4. Griya: Season 1
5. My Royal Nemesis: Limited Series
6. Jae-seok’s B&B Rules!: Season 1
7. The WONDERfools: Limited Series
8. Michael Jackson: The Verdict: Season 1
9. Ashes to Crown: Season 1
10. Gokusen: Season 1

Source: Netflix Top 10

Viu (Top 10 shows)

1. Reborn Rookie
2. Running Man (2026)
3. Zhan Zhao Adventures
4. Aku Pilih Pelangi
5. The Scarecrow
6. Seadanya Kita
7. Unplanned Trip: Limited Edition
8. Taxi Driver 3
9. Study Group
10. Lovely Runner

Source: Viu Frontpage

Disney+ (Top 10 shows)

1. Alice & Steve
2. Best of the World with Antoni Porowski
3. Doctor on the Edge
4. Not Suitable for Work
5. Tracker: Season 3
6. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Season 6
7. Get Real
8. The Flowers of Evil
9. Welcome to Wrexham: Season 5
10. Criminal Minds: Evolution: Season 19

Source: Disney+

Top 10 songs of the week (Spotify) (June 3 to 6)

1. Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
2. Piche Kota — Bahagia Lagi
3. Raim Laode — Iqro’
4. Bruno Mars — Risk It All
5. Katy Perry — The One That Got Away
6. Justin Bieber — Beauty And A Beat (w/ Nicki Minaj)
7. Sal Priadi — Ada titik-titik di ujung doa
8. Ifan Seventeen — Jangan Paksa Rindu — Beda
9. Nadhif Basalamah — kota ini tak sama tanpamu
10. Nadhif Basalamah — bergema sampai selamanya

Top 10 Malay songs of the week (Spotify) (June 3 to 6)

1. Adira Suhaimi — Sayang Orang Sama
2. Aufahanie — Butterfly
3. Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Ade Govinda — Menamakanmu Cinta
4. Alpha — P Ramlee Saloma
5. Zynakal, Zamir Harith, Mojack Hafiz, Bel Janni — Dalam Diam
6. Mojo — Romancinta
7. Hael Husaini, Nadeera — Peluk
8. Nadhif Basalamah, Aziz Harun, Aisha Retno — Kota ini tak sama tanpamu
9. Reedzwann — Suarasi Sering Salah
10. Ifan Seventeen — Jangan Paksa Rindu — Beda

Source: Kworb and Spotify

Top 10 books of the week (May 29 to June 4)

Fiction

1. The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
2. Strange Buildings by Uketsu (Pushkin Vertigo)
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (HarperCollins)
4. Strange Pictures by Uketsu (HarperVia)
5. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
6. Strange Houses by Uketsu (HarperVia)
7. Before the Coffee Gets Cold #6: Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (HANOVER SQUARE PRESS US)
8. Meet Me at the Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
9. The Divorce by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press)
10. King of Gluttony by Ana Huang (Piatkus)

Non-Fiction

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Avery)
2. Surrounded by Idiots (10th Anniversary Edition) by Thomas Erikson (Macmillan Audio)
3. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee (Penerbit Haru)
4. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (Gallery Books)
5. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Harper)
6. Murdle #4: The School of Mystery by GT Karber (Souvenir Press Ltd)
7. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins (Hay House LLC)
8. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson (HarperOne)
9. The Art of Letting Go by Nick Trenton (NTCS Inc)
10. It’s Okay Not to Get Along with Everyone by Dancing Snail (Blink Publishing)

Mutiara Minda (Malay Novels)

1. Badass Wife Ungku Jabbar by Mia Azwari (Hash Novels Publication)
2. Thariq Ridzuwan Commando’s: His Treasure by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
3. Kaisar by Jiwa (Nukilan Biruni Publication)
4. Rubah Putih by Ramlee Awang Murshid (Buku Prima)
5. Mi Linda by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
6. Yes! Captain Zul Aaryan by Wnfhanna (Idea Kreatif)
7. Kaisar: Secret Chapter by Jiwa (Nukilan Biruni)
8. Mi Carino by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
9. Empayar: Hikayat Putera Tanpa Nama by Teme Abdullah (Iman Publication)
10. Rahsia Danny by Teme Abdullah (Iman Publication)

Source: MPH

In April, the 70th month since Beijing imposed the national security law, the Hong Kong government applied to the court to seize assets belonging to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

On National Education Day, a top Chinese official delivered a warning about those who “politicised” the deadly Tai Po fire and tried to “stir up chaos” in the city.

Gov’t seeks to seize Jimmy Lai’s assets

The Hong Kong government filed an application with the High Court on April 2 to seize “offence-related” properties owned by jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai on national security grounds.

In a statement issued the same day, the government mentioned Lai’s earlier convictions under the Beijing-imposed national security law. It said the High Court had found that he was the “mastermind and driving force behind the case, consciously using Apple Daily and his personal influence” to undermine local and Beijing authorities.

In a writ dated April 2, the secretary for justice listed HK$127 million in assets to be “forfeited” to the authorities.

The assets include credit balances in bank accounts belonging to or linked to the Apple Daily founder.

Fifteen bank accounts under Lai’s name – 10 with HSBC, two with Hang Seng Bank and three with Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank – have over HK$32 million.

The government is also seeking to seize bank accounts belonging to 17 companies linked to Lai. It is also demanding that Lai give up shares in 17 companies, some of which overlap with the 17 firms whose assets the government is seeking to seize.

Among the companies whose assets and shares the government wants to seize are Dico Consultants Ltd, which has over HK$404,302 in its HSBC account, and Lai’s Hotel Properties Ltd, which has over HK$3.1 million in its four HSBC accounts.

Lai has been summoned to the High Court on July 8 to hear the government’s application. The case will be presided over by Esther Toh, one of the three judges who heard his national security trial.

The move to seize Lai’s assets came after the government designated three companies linked to Lai’s now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid “prohibited organisations” in late March and removed them from the corporate registry. Police cordoned off the Apple Daily building in Tseung Kwan O a day later.

The three firms were tried and convicted alongside the Apple Daily founder in his high-profile national security case. Lai was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in early February, while the companies were each fined over HK$3 million.

Political commentator appears in court

A Hong Kong political commentator charged with disclosing details of a national security investigation appeared at the District Court on April 28.

Wong Kwok-ngon, known by his pen name Wong On-yin, has been detained since his arrest in December for allegedly divulging in a YouTube video details of enquiries made by police during a national security investigation.

Judge Stanley Chan said the pre-trial review would take place behind closed doors on August 11, and the trial would begin on October 9.

Wong’s offence falls under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a homegrown security law known as Article 23. It was added to the ordinance in May as part of subsidiary legislation, and Wong is the first to be charged under the new law.

He is also charged with sedition over videos posted on YouTube between January 3 and December 6 last year. He plans to plead not guilty to both charges.

The defendant, who continues to represent himself, told the court he had dropped his legal aid application.

Asked by the judge whether he had legal knowledge for self-defence, Wong said he had “three law degrees” and was confident of handling the case.

Nat. security clauses for restaurant licences

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said in early April that all Hong Kong restaurant licences would include national security clauses from September.

Tse made the remarks on April 7, nearly a year after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) introduced the provisions for restaurant licence renewals in May.

“With restaurants renewing their licences gradually, we expect that by September this year, all restaurant licences will contain the clauses,” Tse told reporters, according to RTHK.

Retiree jailed over seditious Facebook posts

A Hong Kong man was jailed for a year under the city’s homegrown national security law after pleading guilty to making seditious remarks on Facebook, including comments supporting Hong Kong’s and Taiwan’s independence.

Raymond Chong pleaded guilty before national security judge Victor So at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on April 14 to one count of knowingly publishing publications with a seditious intention – an offence under the city’s local security law, also known as Article 23.

The magistrate handed Chong, a retiree in his early 60s, an 18-month sentence but discounted it by six months after considering his guilty plea.

Chong was accused of making 53 seditious social media posts between March 2024 and November 2025, local media reported.

The posts had wording such as “dissolving the Chinese Communist Party is the most important thing” and “Hong Kong independence is within sight.”

The defendant posted on a public Facebook page called “Holy Raymond,” which features the Chinese phrase “Heaven will destroy the Chinese Communist Party, God bless Hong Kong” as its profile picture.

During mitigation ahead of sentencing, his lawyer argued that Chong was a Falun Gong believer who had come to hate the Chinese Communist Party because of false information that the CCP engaged in live organ harvesting.

Beijing official warned of ‘politicising’ Tai Po fire

China’s top official in charge of Hong Kong affairs warned of some people who “politicised” the deadly Tai Po fire and tried to use the disaster to “stir up chaos” in Hong Kong.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, delivered his remarks on April 15 via a recorded video shown at a National Security Education Day ceremony.

In his speech, Xia mentioned the massive fire that broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po, on November 26, killing 168 people.

“After the Tai Po fire, some malicious people politicised the tragedy, attempting to use the disaster as a means to disrupt Hong Kong,” Xia said in Mandarin, without giving further details.

“Once again, it reminds us that along Hong Kong’s path toward prosperity under good governance, there will be various risks and challenges.”

Speaking at the same event, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also warned that some people were “using the disaster to stir up chaos” and “to incite hatred” in Hong Kong.

“Only through the government’s swift action and decisive law enforcement has the situation been able to return to normal,” Lee said in Mandarin.

French journalist denied entry to city

A French journalist was denied entry to Hong Kong in November, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in late April, accusing the city’s authorities of “weaponising visas” against foreign media workers.

Antoine Vedeilhe, who was shooting a documentary for French public broadcaster France Télévisions, was questioned upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on November 2 last year, RSF said in a statement on April 24.

He was detained for three hours before being deported without being given a reason, it added.

The press freedom NGO said Vedeilhe was the 13th foreign media worker who had been denied entry or a visa by the city’s authorities following Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in 2020.

“In the journalist’s view, his detention was a reprisal for his work on a documentary examining Beijing’s grip on Hong Kong,” RSF said.

Another cameraman for the documentary was able to enter the city, RSF said, but he was followed by “unidentified individuals that he suspects were Hong Kong’s national security police.”

“In the following days, there was a hacking attempt on Vedeilhe’s private email account and his sources in the documentary were harassed by the national security police,” the NGO said.

In an emailed reply to HKFP’s enquiries, the Hong Kong government said it “strongly condemns the smearing remarks and distorted narratives by” RSF.

Prosecution and arrests figures

As of April 1, a total of 394 people have been arrested for “cases involving suspected acts or activities that endanger national security” since Beijing’s national security law came into effect, according to the Security Bureau. That figure includes those arrested under Article 23 and for other offences.

Of the 208 people and five companies that have so far been charged, 180 people and four companies have been convicted or are awaiting sentencing.

In total, 100 people and four companies have been charged under Beijing’s national security law, with 79 persons and three companies convicted. Thirteen people have been charged under Article 23, 10 of whom have been convicted.

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China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs will visit the city this week to check its alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan and the progress of a tech hub development in the New Territories.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, will be in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday to inspect the five-year blueprint and the Northern Metropolis, the Hong Kong government said on Monday.

Xia is set to arrive one day after Hong Kong launched a two-month public consultation for the city’s first five-year plan.

During the public consultation period, residents can submit their views via a dedicated website, email or post, Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday. The government will also host activities to hear different views from lawmakers, industry leaders, and members of the public.

Lee said that the Hong Kong plan, led by the chief executive himself, would focus on the economy, technological development, and livelihood issues, as well as Hong Kong’s integration into China’s development.

In February, ahead of the high-profile “Two Sessions” meeting in Beijing, Lee announced that Hong Kong would launch its first five-year plan.

The Northern Metropolis is a large-scale project set to transform 30,000 hectares of land in Hong Kong’s rural areas near the border with mainland China into a tech hub, providing more homes and deepening the city’s integration with Shenzhen.

Swathes of land, including rural villages in the New Territories, will make way for the development.

Xia visited Hong Kong in June last year to attend a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the national security law.

Later in April, he delivered a recorded video speech at a National Security Education Day ceremony, warning of people who “politicised” the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire and tried to use the disaster to “stir up chaos” in Hong Kong.

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