Sightlines · reception

How How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was received

2024 · Pat Boonnitipat · How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies on Sightlines

The arc

It exploded out of Thailand in spring 2024 into a full pan-Asian phenomenon — breaking box-office records for a Thai film in Indonesia and beyond — and by year's end had climbed from regional weepie to Oscar-shortlisted arthouse crossover.

What’s debated

The perennial fight: is it a genuinely earned family drama or an expertly engineered tearjerker that knows exactly which buttons it's pushing?

Its footprint

Its cultural signature is the crying itself — TikTok filled with videos of entire cinemas sobbing, theaters reportedly handing out tissues, and a wave of 'call your grandma' posts across Southeast Asia.

Where it stands

Already a Letterboxd darling and the default 'start here' recommendation for modern Thai cinema — the rare regional blockbuster that cinephiles everywhere actually saw.

Did you know? It was Thailand's Oscar entry and made the Academy's 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature — a first for a Thai film — while grandma Mengju was played by Usha Seamkhum, a first-time actress in her 70s.