KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 15 -- Local animation Papa Zola The Movie has hit a major milestone, recording a box office collection of RM59.8 million in Malaysia alone, surpassing last year's full Malaysian run of Ejen Ali The Movie 2, which earned RM58.5 million.

Including Brunei, Papa Zola The Movie has now amassed a total of RM60 million, drawing around 3.75 million viewers across both territories.

The success comes as little surprise. The film opened strongly with RM10 million in its first four days, before racing past RM43 million in under three weeks.

Despite competition from major international releases such as Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zootopia 2, Anaconda, and the Hong Kong film Back to the Past during its theatrical run, Papa Zola The Movi...