Malay Mail’s top 10 picks: Rajinikanth is back on the silver screen, and Malaysia is buying tickets

YouTube screenshot of Indian superstar Rajinikanth in ‘Jailer 2’, which is gaining box office success in Malaysia, fuelled by strong ticket sales and positive word of mouth.

By Ian Jeremiah Patrick

First Published: Friday, 23 Oct 2026 2:00 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Rajinikanth’s Tamil-language Jailer 2 has stormed to No. 1 at the Malaysian box office, crossing RM10 million since its October 15 release.

Street Fighter, the live-action take on Capcom’s video game franchise, is right behind at No. 2. Whalefall is riding strong word of mouth, while horror fans have Other Mommy and local title Pemuja Syaitan to pick from.

On streaming, Malaysian series Kudrat 1968: High Council still tops Netflix, with its concluding film set to premiere on October 29.

Over on Viu, horror mystery The Hidden Hand (Dia Perempuan Sialan) leads the rankings, while Between Steps: Season 1 is generating buzz on Disney+.

From cinemas and streaming to music and books, here are Malay Mail’s top entertainment picks for the weekend.

Top 10 films in local cinemas (Domestic & International) (October 15 to October 18)

1. Jailer 2
2. Street Fighter
3. Whalefall
4. Other Mommy
5. Pemuja Syaitan
6. V
7. Go For Broke 2
8. Resident Evil
9. Munafik: Melawan Iblis
10. Always Lalisa

Top 10 streaming (October 12 to October 18)

Netflix (Top 10 TV)

TV Series

1. Kudrat 1968: High Council
2. Doctor X: Mafia in White: Limited Series
3. Take Charge of My Heart: Limited Series
4. Below: Limited Series
5. 100 Days of Deception: Limited Series
6. Firefly Wedding: Season 1
7. Where the Mask Ends: Season 1
8. Spike: Season 1
9. Kisah Bawah Tanah: Season 1
10. The Laid-Off Cheat-Granting Mage Enjoys a Second Lease on Life: Season 1

Viu (Top 10 shows)

1. The Hidden Hand (Dia Perempuan Sialan)
2. Running Man (2026)
3. Abang Imam Minah Skuter
4. Cinta Dalam Sekam
5. kiDnap GAME
6. Satu, Dua... Dia?
7. Dream To You
8. Whenever Possible Season 5
9. I Live Alone (2026)
10. 2 Days 1 Night (Season 4) (2026)

Disney+ (Top 10 shows)

1. Between Steps: Season 1
2. Phony: Season 1
3. Reasonable Doubt: Season 4
4. Deadly Tag: Season 1
5. Merry Berry Love: Season 1
6. VisionQuest: Season 1
7. Banana Bowl Championship Live
8. Scrubs: Season 2
9. Swipe Right on the Devil
10. American Horror Story: Season 13

Top 10 songs of the week (Spotify) (October 14 to October 21)

1. Great Expectation — SIENNA SPIRO
2. Teh Hijau — Tulus
3. Sesi Potret — eńau (w/ Ari Lesmana)
4. Iqro’ —Raim Laode
5. The One That Got Away — Katy Perry
6. Ain’t In LA —ADÉLA
7. Nicole Kidman — ADÉLA
8. Cinderella — Mac Miller (w/ Ty Dolla $ign)
9. The Cure — Olivia Rodrigo
10. Dunia Yang Nanti — Raim Laode

Top 10 Malay songs of the week (Spotify) (October 14 to October 21)

1. Teh Hijau — Tulus
2. Gila Bayang — Ammar Haikal
3. Sayang Orang Sama —Adira Suhaimi
4. Tak Adil — Aisha Retno
5. Kasih Tercipta — Faizal Tahir
6. Telepati — Aziz Harun
7. Kota ini tak sama tanpamu — Nadhif Basalamah, Aziz Harun, Aisha Retno
8. Terbang original soundtrack from Tarung: Unforgiven — Noh Salleh
9. Lelaki Teragung — Dayang Nurfaizah
10. Manifestasi from Kudrat 1968 High Council — Sharul Kamal

Top 10 books of the week (October 9 to October 15)

Fiction

1. Agnes by Viji Krishnamoorthy (PRH SEA)
2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Doubleday)
3. Strange Pictures by Uketsu (HarperVia)
4. The Witch by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press)
5. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
6. Strange Buildings by Uketsu (Pushkin Vertigo)
7. The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh
8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Orion Publishing Group)
9. Strange Houses by Uketsu (Pushkin Vertigo)
10. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Non-Fiction

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Avery)
2. The Malay Dilemma (Reissue Edition) by Mahathir Mohamad (Marshall Cavendish)
3. Surrounded by Idiots (10th Anniversary Edition) by Thomas Erikson (Vermilion)
4. I Want to Die, but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee (Penerbit Haru)
5. Dark Psychology and Manipulation by William Cooper (AcePremier)
6. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Harper)
7. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson (HarperCollins)
8. Read People Like a Book by Patrick King (Big Mind LLC)
9. Once Upon a Miao (Remastered): I Love My Hometown by Jian Goh (Space Voyager Log PLT)
10. The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene (Penguin Books)

Mutiara Minda (Malay Novels)

1. Empayar 4: Hikayat Pemburu Naga by Teme Abdullah (Buku IMAN)
2. Cold Case by Azmeer Shah (Buku Prima)
3. Bukan Cinta Sempurna by Bellesa (Idea Kreatif)
4. Syurga Itu Bernama Ibu by Osman Deen (IMAN Sdn Bhd)
5. Kaisar 2: Kudeta by Jiwa (Nukilan Biruni Trading)
6. Suspek Tanpa Jejak by Fitri Hussin (RUMAA Books)
7. Thariq Ridzuwan Commando’s: His Treasure by Hudanajwa (Idea Kreatif)
8. Rubah Putih by Ramlee Awang Murshid (Buku Prima)
9. Hamka: Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck (Edisi 2026) by Hamka (PTS Publishing House)
10. Yes! Captain Zul Aaryan by Wnfhanna (Idea Kreatif)