KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Director Yeon Sang-ho’s (Train to Busan, Hellbound) latest zombie thriller, Colony, is off to a strong start at the Malaysian box office, crossing the RM1.4 million mark.
The latest South Korean zombie flick held an advance screening in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday at GSC One Utama, coinciding with its release in South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the film recorded 199,768 cinema admissions in South Korea on its opening day, citing data from the Korean Film Council.
Malaysia became the first South-east Asian country to officially screen Colony beginning yesterday, drawing a positive early response.
Yeon’s latest feature began filming in early 2025 and wrapped later that same year.
The film premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2026, before securing distribution deals in more than 120 international territories.
Starring Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Shin-rock and Go Soo, Colony follows a group of survivors trapped inside a building after an unknown infection spreads rapidly.
Cut off from the outside world, they must fight to survive against infected individuals who continuously mutate into increasingly dangerous forms.
Yeon previously shared in an interview that the zombies in Colony represent modern anxieties in an era where rapid information exchange, collective consciousness and artificial intelligence (AI) are gradually replacing individuality.
The film reimagines the zombie genre with a chilling modern twist, delivering a breed of horror audiences have never encountered before.
South Korea’s zombie genre has no doubt risen to prominence since 2016’s Train to Busan, praised for its intense suspense, emotional storytelling and human drama.
Colony aims to bring a fresh perspective to the genre and is currently screening nationwide.
As Europe’s leading donor countries slash budgets, the result could be more than 11.5m preventable deaths, report suggests
Cuts to foreign aid budgets by the UK, France and Germany could contribute to more than 11.5 million preventable deaths by the end of the decade, according to a new report, which warns that Europe is abandoning its role as a pillar of global health and development.
Three separate studies within the report reveal the extent to which the nations have slashed their foreign aid budgets, and illustrate the impact worldwide. UK official development assistance (ODA) spending is projected to fall by 45% between 2020 and 2026, Germany’s by 37% between 2023 and 2026, and France’s by 30% over the same period, according to the research.
This report was a collaboration with European newspapers El Pais and Le Monde
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© Photograph: Monirul Alam/EPA
© Photograph: Monirul Alam/EPA
© Photograph: Monirul Alam/EPA
KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Some 200 students under the ‘Program Ilham Seni Diraja’, accompanied by their teachers, recently had the opportunity to attend the international theatre production Roald Dahl’s The BFG in Singapore.
According to a post on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s official Facebook page today, the visit involving selected students was organised following an exclusive invitation by Singapore Repertory Theatre artistic director Gaurav Kripalani to the Raja Zarith Sofiah of Johor Foundation.
The production featured a cast from the Royal Shakespeare Company of the United Kingdom, with Singapore being the only venue outside the UK chosen by the renowned theatre company.
“This high-impact programme was coordinated by Datuk Paduka Maharaja Lela and Ilham Seni Diraja coordinator Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini,” the post read.
The initiative aimed to strengthen appreciation for arts and culture while exposing the younger generation to international performances in shaping creative thinking, it added.
Program Ilham Seni Diraja is a pioneering initiative inspired by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, focusing on the B40 community in Kuala Lumpur by bringing them closer to renowned arts practitioners and performers. — Bernama
Sample ramen pizza, alongside other limited-edition items to pick up, or just make your own treats.
Snacks in Japan come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from ever-feuding mushrooms and bamboo shoots to make-your-own sweets, but one that I see fairly often in the hands of little children are packets of Baby Star Ramen. A popular snack made of deep-fried, crunchy, bite-sized pieces of instant noodles, Baby Star Ramen came about in 1959 when the founder of Oyatsu Company realized that the broken noodle fragments left at the bottom of instant noodle production lines could actually be seasoned and packaged up as a snack by themselves.
The Oyatsu Company factory is located in Tsu, Mie, and while factory tours are currently suspended, for those who want to dive into the world of Baby Star, right next door is Oyatsu Town, a theme park offering everything from a giant athletic course to making original Baby Star Ramen, as well as limited-edition food you can only eat there, resulting in an enjoyable experience for child and adult alike.
▼ Sadly, no factory tours are currently available.
Our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon visited the theme park with her kids in tow during Golden Week, one of Japan’s busiest periods for travel and day excursions, so upon arriving and noting that same-day entry was limited until after lunch, it wasn’t too unexpected. So, Natsuno’s first recommendation for any future visit is to always reserve your entry tickets in advance, particularly if you plan to go on a weekend or holiday.
Arriving at the entrance, the first thing to welcome Natsuno and her family was a giant Baby Star photo spot, appearing as if Baby Star was flowing like a waterfall, along with a spot where you could get inside a Butamen cup, Oyatsu Company’s line of instant cup noodles, adorned with designs of Hoshio-kun, the Baby Star Ramen mascot.
Peak season entry is 2,500 yen (US$15.70) for adults, whereas it drops down to 2,200 yen during the Regular days, and 1,600 yen for the Value days.
It’s best to check the company website for absolute clarity, but the general rule seems to be Saturday through Monday is Regular, Tuesday through Friday is Value, and national holidays like Golden Week in May and Obon in August are Peak.
▼ Natsuno couldn’t help but take one last look at the factory, as she really enjoys factory tours, but it sadly wasn’t to be.
Stepping inside, Natsuno was greeted with the company’s history spread out on the floor, designed almost like a board game.
It was quite interesting to learn that the name change to Oyatsu Company was an unexpectedly recent development.
▼ Not at all spoken through the pitch-black sunglasses of denial: 1993 is still very recent.
Proceeding further inwards, a giant athletic area appears, teeming with the Golden Week crowd of people.
While as an adult, Natsuno tends to curb her childhood playfulness and instead let her children loose to gallivant through play areas, she couldn’t quite restrain herself from wanting to join in on the fun. Looking around, she could even see many adults playing there quite seriously, so she embraced her inner child and entered the play equipment.
Among them, what was particularly enjoyable was the Hoshio-kun Giant Slide, which gets quite a bit of speed.
▼ They’re even considerate enough to provide wrap-around skirts to make sliding even more speedy.
The Super Giant Butamen-kun Adventure and Giant Jungle Gym are also extremely fun.
Since you walk on the net, the stimulation to the soles of your feet is amazing, nearing the level where you might mistake it for a minor piece of health equipment.
▼ Natsuno is still a child at heart, she promises.
The most popular one, though, is the giant athletic course consisting of three whole floors, which are divided by height; the first floor is for small children, but the second and third floors offer up more of a challenge.
Natsuno ventured up to the third floor together with her children but had to retire halfway through for a very specific reason: her sweaty hands.
It’s a little difficult to see in the image below, but this is a course where you have to move forward while moving around the outside of orange bars that bulge outward.
With hands that get particularly sweaty, Natsuno could just foresee herself slipping off due to them. Yet, because she wanted to show her children an inspirational figure that takes on challenges even in the face of adversity, plus it was too frustrating to just give up, she attempted it a second time and cleared it safely. However, she later heard from her children, “since we were moving ahead of you, we couldn’t see you.” Sad though she was, she still felt a sense of accomplishment, so it wasn’t all bad.
▼ There is even a section of the park dedicated to interactive digital content that kids can have fun with.
Next, the family moved on to the experience of making Baby Star at Hoshio-kun Kitchen, where you can make your very own original Baby Star Ramen.
For an additional 1,000 yen each to the park entrance fee, the children challenged the “My Special Baby Star,” where you can choose your favorite flavor from several types, season it yourself, and then have the staff bake it for you in the oven.
Natsuno had reserved in advance, but there seemed to be sufficient availability that you could even reserve on the day itself.
After completing the ramen, you put stickers on the original container, though her children instead opted to put on only a few, saving the rest for later to add to their sticker collection albums.
The family came away from the experience with the children beaming with happiness and proud faces for their new creations.
However, being hungry, they decided to swing by Baby Star Dining, where you can savor original foods using Baby Star, such as Baby Star Katsu Curry.
Among them all, Natsuno can personally recommend the pizza, particularly the limited-time Pink Butamen Gratin Pizza, being a lot more authentic than expected.
It’s baked in a pizza oven, so you get that classic pizza base texture, and the pink coloring is added via beetroot instead of food coloring.
The appearance certainly has quite the impact, referencing Butamen and its pig mascot, but the taste has no unexpected quirks and is extremely delicious.
▼ The Ramen Pizza was also full of ingredients and highly satisfying.
Of course, you can eat freshly-fried Baby Star Ramen.
At the gift shop Oyatsu Marche, limited-edition products and character goods are lined up, with Natsuno being drawn to all of the Butamen goods. He just has such a charming presence…
Natsuno also discovered Baby Star limited to Oyatsu Town, this time purchasing the Spiny Lobster Flavor (850 yen for a pack of six), and found it to have a very strong shrimp taste, both rich and delicious.
There was also a cute, little steel suitcase-like container that you could stuff your favorite Baby Star flavors into for just 1,700 yen.
Before walking through the doors, Natsuno had assumed she would be entering a facility designed just for children, but she ended up, even as an adult, enjoying it with all her might.
In the end, from their 10:30 a.m. start, they stayed fully until the closing time at 5:00 p.m., staying more than six hours. With the addition of a new area opening in Spring 2027, there will be even more to get lost in, although prospective visitors should take note that the park will be closed from January 12, 2027, to prepare for this new opening.
Whether you visit with kids or not, it’s all but guaranteed you’ll have a great time exploring Oyatsu Town, just remember to book in advance on the weekends and holidays.
Location information
Oyatsu Town / おやつタウン
Address: Mie-ken, Tsu-shi, Mori-cho 1945-11
三重県津市森町1945-11
Open: 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (Tuesday–Friday), 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (Saturdays and Mondays), 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Sundays) However, times can change, so check the website for up-to-date information
Closed: Irregular Days
Website
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