Thais clamber for free movie tickets

People line up for free tickets for the film "The Legend of King Naresuan 5" at a shopping mall during an event as part of the military junta's goal to "return happiness to Thai people" in Bangkok, June 15, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Featuring computer-generated battle scenes with warriors atop elephants, the film has nationalist overtones and focuses heavily on self-sacrifice and patriotic love.

"There are so many problems in society. I think this movie will help us feel patriotic and united," Ngamjai Munkatanyu, 51, said after securing tickets for her two children and a niece. "That's how we can survive."

The movie's prequels were some of the highest-grossing films in Thai box-office history. The cast includes military officers keen to promote the film's message.

"All of us, the government, the private sector, must set down a foundation to create stability for the next generation," Lieutenant-Colonel Wanchana Sawasdee, an actor and poster boy for the military who plays the king, said after an advance weekend showing. "This movie is part of that."

The issue of succession to revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, is sensitive in the country of 67 million. His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, has yet to secure the same devotion.

Some analysts suggest the dividends may be brief from attempts to heal divisions while the military holds power. There have been 19 successful or abortive coups in Thailand since the mid-1930s.

"It will work in the short term because Thais are pragmatic. We try to get everything that is to our benefit and suits our tastes," said Kan Yuengyong, director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.

"In the long term, this is questionable. People will think about their own rights and the rationale of a military regime. People will want to know who will be the next prime minister."