KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 -- The hype surrounding the Tamil-language film Jana Nayagan was unmistakable in Malaysia following its audio launch last December.

After months of delays due to censorship, the film finally arrived in cinemas on July 23, with moviegoers nationwide flocking to catch the actor turned Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C. Joseph Vijay, in his final feature film.

With that, Jana Nayagan has now overtaken The Odyssey, Minions & Monsters, and Moana to claim the No. 1 spot at the local box office, as many finally got the chance to see it on the big screen.

It has been another busy month for cinemas, with a string of major releases keeping audiences engaged, while the release calendar shows no signs of slowing down as more ti...