The White Lotus Takes Bangkok For Regional Premiere

BANGKOK — After an initial premiere at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Feb. 11, the cast of “The White Lotus” reunited here, where the third season of the award-winning HBO Max miniseries is based.

The Friday event was the first time the high-profile show had hosted a full-blown event overseas, which included a public-facing green carpet moment and several after-parties at Four Seasons, the luxury hotel chain that provided multiple filming locations for the series.

The high-octane event began at the dockside of Iconsiam, the luxurious shopping mall in the heart of Bangkok. Stars from the show — including Lisa of Blackpink; Natasha Rothwell; Jason Isaacs; Parker Posey; Sarah Catherine Hook; Sam Nivola; Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Tayme That him thing — were greeted by shrieking fans at the launch party.

Making a dramatic entrance on a cruise ship, Lisa arrived in a Louis Vuitton-custom made lotus-pink gown and posed side-by-side with her mother. The K-pop icon made her cinematic debut in the series as the character “Mook,” who works at the fictional White Lotus Hotel.

The third series also reprised the role of Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager at the first season’s hotel played by Rothwell, and welcomed a growing cast that includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Dom Hetrakul, Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Posey, Thapthimthong, Hook, Livola, Walton Goggins, and more.

Season three of the eight-episode drama series will return Sunday and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

The Bangkok premiere comes on the heels of HBO Max’s recent launch in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which is banking on offering established franchises to boost top-line growth.

According to local media reports, HBO Max expects the Asian markets, including Australia and New Zealand, to bring in more than $600 million in revenue by 2029.

Jay Roewe, senior vice president of production at HBO Max, said the massive production, which spanned a 129-day-shoot, employed over 1,000 people, with an additional 5,700 mandate of extras, was bound to recreate “The White Lotus effect” in Thailand as it did in Maui, Hawaii, and Sicily, Italy, in the first two seasons.

“With an increase in tourism inquiries about where we filmed, we are looking forward to the audience’s new or renewed fascination in visiting this incredible country,” said Roewe at the premiere.

The show’s Siam outing, which was first teased last February, began production last spring at Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok. Though plot details are still under wraps, the vacation horror-cum-satire series has been characterized by critics as much darker than the previous two seasons. For Mike White, the writer, director, and producer of the series, the third season will be exploring “death in Eastern religion and spirituality.”

As for the production process, it was also the hardest season for White and the team. “Bracing the elements was the hardest, the days were very long, but it was also exciting,” White told WWD after the premiere.

The show’s Thailand takeover will likely bring spikes in cultural tourism. The show, supported by the local government and its tourism authority, is budgeted into a year-long initiative that aims to attract 39 million international visitors and generate three trillion baht, or $90 million, in tourism revenue in 2025.

Thailand has also relaxed visa policies to attract visitors. Citizens of 93 countries, including the U.S. and China, can now enter the country visa-free for up to 60 days. In 2024, the government also introduced a five-year visa for digital nomads.

Another big winner is Four Seasons Resort, which has been the shooting ground for the series since season one. This time around the show was primarily shot in Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, which has turbocharged bookings since 2024.

After becoming an official partner of the show, Four Seasons has unveiled exclusive offerings inspired by it. At Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, a “White Lotus”-themed afternoon tea and bar experience will be available from Monday to April 20.

With the show’s resort-casual allure and “old money” aesthetics, “White Lotus” has joined forces with 14 apparel and lifestyle labels, such as Banana Republic, Bloomingdale’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Away Luggage, on cross-category collaborations that span jet-set attire, luggage, to perfumed candles.

The show’s Emmy-nominated costume designer Alex Bovaird, who worked with H&M on a 25-piece resort collection, channeled “White Lotus” leading character energy via “noisy, eclectic and emotional” prints and silhouettes, which were the antithesis of the quiet luxury trend.