February 05, 2022, 05:52 PM
The critics of Ah Girls Go Army have spoken and the supporters have parted ways with their money by turning up in droves at the cinemas.
And if you were to ask which side is overcoming the other, it is definitely the side that puts the money where their mouth is -- at least according to Singaporean actor Tosh Zhang.
In Ah Girls Go Army's defence
Zhang, 32, who starred in the Ah Boys to Men movie series as Sergeant Ong before Ah Girls Go Army existed, pronounced emphatically on social media that haters gonna hate and potatoes gonna potate.
In a celebratory Facebook post on Feb. 3, Zhang hailed the news about Ah Girls Go Army making S$1.15 million in a matter of days as how "the silent supporters will always be even louder eventually by going to the cinemas and buying tickets".
His full post said:
And these comments are considered tame because he was airing them on Facebook, which is officially boomer town, according to Wall Street.AH GIRLS GO ARMY has just broken the SGD$1 million mark at the box office within a few days of release. What does this show? The haters might seem very loud online with their disdain for the film and saying it will be an absolute box office flop, but time and time again since ABTM 1 the silent supporters will always be even louder eventually by going to the cinemas and buying tickets to show their love & support. I’m immensely proud of the AGGA cast, it has not been easy for them facing so much negativity online but results and numbers don’t lie. Congratulations! 💪
Went on Instagram and unleashed more firepower
Over on Instagram, Zhang was even more emphatic and caustic -- that is possible as Instagram users are younger and more funky ass -- as he shared a screen shot of his Facebook post and turned on the potatoes gonna potate firepower.
Zhang wrote on Instagram:
And what are the haters gonna say now? As usual, they will say SG audiences are low class and have no taste. But you know who are the truly low class ones? Y’all loser ass haters spouting negativity constantly and putting people down. Understand this - what you say about others says more about you than it says about them. Stay salty and keep the mediocre hate coming while the franchise continues to be a success a decade on. #AhGirlsGoArmy 💪
Supporters of his post
And in Zhang's Instagram post's comments section, responses from those associated with the Ah Boys To Men franchise cheered him on.
Naysayer steps in
One regular folk, however, did reply to Zhang to give him a peace of their mind:
Thing is some of the critisms were legit and instead of classifying every person who didn’t enjoy the movie into a petty hater is kind of childish and potrays a bad look to an already bland media industry in Singapore
In response, Zhang said:
Legit constructive criticism is definitely alright and needed for the media industry to improve. It is not realistic to expect every single person to enjoy the film as everyone’s tastes are different. I am referring only to those who are unnecessarily mean spirited and put others down for no good reason.
Cast celebrates movie's release
Since Ah Girls Go Army was released on Feb. 1, buzz online has ensured both haters and supporters got to air their views, with the Ministry of Defence even chiming in.
Cast of the new movie have been celebrating its release.
The first four Ah Boys To Men movies, after the first one came out in November 2012, have so far grossed over S$26.8 million in theatres, making it one of the most lucrative movie series in Singapore's history
Top image via Tosh Zhang social media
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