Indonesian films soar past pre-pandemic admissions record; “KKN Di Desa Penari”, “Satan’s Slaves 2”, Disney Movies Top 2022 Box Office; Cinema market on track for growth

Indonesian films had nearly 55 million viewings in their home market on Dec. 18, according to local box office analyst Bicara Box Office, surpassing the previous record of 51.9 million set in the year before the 2019 pandemic.

by Awi Suryadi KKN Di Desa Penariproduced by MD Pictures, topped the Indonesian annual chart in mid-December after garnering 9.23 million views when it was released during the Eid holiday in April/May.

The folk horror story about a group of students who unwittingly provoke evil spirits on a trip to the countryside also broke the record for the biggest local film ever made in Indonesia. Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss Part 1which attracted 6.86 million visitors in 2016. It is also the second biggest film in Indonesian box office history, behind only Disney’s Avengers: Endgamewith 11.3 million visitors in 2019.

While Indonesian movie chains do not share box office numbers in hard currency, Bicara Box Office founder Sigit Prabowo estimates KKN Di Desa Penari earning approximately $26 million.

Disney’s Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness was the second biggest movie of the year in Indonesia with 6.49 million admissions in mid-December, according to figures from Bicara Box Office. Avatar: The Way of WaterReleased by Disney on December 14, it was already in Indonesia’s year-end top 20 at the time of writing, but with a running time of over three hours, it’s unlikely to overtake Doctor Strangeat least in the calendar year 2022.

Yoko Anwars Satan’s Slaves 2: Last Supper, released in early August, ranked third in mid-December with 6.39 million unique visitors. The horror sequel, which Shudder recently bought for the US and several other territories, is currently Indonesia’s third biggest domestic film of all time.

At the time of writing, Disney had two other films in Indonesia’s year-end top ten: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Placed fifth overall with 4.51 million visitors and Thor: Love and Thunder Sixth place with 4.02 million visitors. Universal was the only other American studio with films in the top ten Jurassic world domination Seventh place with 3.25 million and Minions: The Rise of Gru ranks tenth with 2.55 million, according to figures from Bicara Box Office.

“The opening of cinemas in Indonesia after the pandemic has been encouraging, with the success of local films and consumers returning to theaters to see our Marvel Studios films on the big screen,” said Vineet Puri, vice president and general managers of Disney Indonesia, said. “20th Century Studios” Avatar: The Way of Water also had a strong opening week performance in Indonesia, starting at number one with a 99% market share.

But while Disney and local films are doing well, the overall market has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with just over 90 million admissions in mid-December, compared with a record 152 million admissions in 2019.

Looking back at the pandemic years, Bicara Box Office’s Prabowo estimates that overall admissions dropped by 75-80% as Covid-19 closed Indonesian theaters for several months in 2020. Fast and Furious 9, No time to die and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsMade some progress in late 2020 and throughout 2021, although the Delta variant closes theaters for the second time from July to September.

However, local producers delayed new titles or sold them to streaming platforms during this time, causing viewership for local films to drop to just 12.7 million in 2020 and 4.5 million in 2021.

Rural stories and local folklore

All this makes the local film turnaround in 2022 so dramatic. In 2019, Indonesian films had a share of 35% of their domestic box office, while this year their market share is almost 60%. Other hits included a local remake of a Korean film, Miracle in cell 7; Bene Dion Rajagukguk’s family drama homesick and the horror thriller by Kimo Stamboel Ivana.

homesick, about a couple who trick their children into visiting them by pretending to get a divorce, far exceeded expectations for a small family drama, drawing 2.89 million viewers. Although the film has a comedic premise, it also touches on family dynamics and gender roles in Indonesian society.

Prabowo attributes the success of local films to “a pent-up demand, a strong and diverse lineup, and a greater confidence in their local films by the Indonesian public”. With special reference to the success of KKN Di Desa Penari, he says: “It was a huge cultural phenomenon and really resonated with audiences, especially outside the big cities. Most Indonesian films have urban themes, but this film has a rural, traditional message and is deeply rooted in local mythology.”

MD Pictures is coming out again KKN Di Desa Penari in an extended version on December 29, while Cek Toko Sebelah 2a sequel to Ernest Prakasa’s 2016 hit that opened on December 22 and is expected to further boost the year-end admissions for domestic films.

Investments in cinema infrastructure

While Indonesia’s box office has yet to return to 2019 levels, local studio executives and independent producers say there are reasons to be optimistic about 2023, with international exhibitors.

The Indonesian film industry was closed to foreign investment until 2016, when the government introduced a series of regulatory reforms and international film operators entered the market. Korea’s CJ CGV now operates about 17% of Indonesia’s cinemas, while Mexico’s Cinepolis, which partnered with Lippo Group’s Cinemaxx, has a 15% share. The established Cinema 21 market, which operates around 64% of cinemas in Indonesia, has also invested heavily in expanding its offering. As in China, multiplexes first opened in smaller cities during the pre-pandemic growth spurt.

Indonesia has also become a key battleground in the streaming wars, with Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, regional streamers Viu, iQiyi and Tencent, and local player Vidio all producing originals in Indonesian for their streaming platforms. But so far, the growth of streaming doesn’t seem to be keeping audiences away from theaters, at least not for local films.

Shanty Harmayn, co-founder of Base Entertainment, which produces a number of local films and series for Netflix and Amazon Prime, says a number of factors contribute to this phenomenon, related to both the quality of the films and the cinema infrastructure: “Indonesia Producers claim high production values ​​and local viewers respond to films that cater specifically to them, so targeting is essential,” says Harmayn.

She adds that the cost and value proposition of cinema also keeps the theater sector healthy: “Cinema is still one of the most affordable leisure activities in Indonesia, with tickets only a few dollars the equivalent, and our cinemas are world class. “

Puri notes that Indonesia has growth potential in both theater and streaming: “Indonesia is a strategically important and fast-growing market for The Walt Disney Company in all our businesses due to its fast-growing mid-range segment and growing appetite for the world’s stories. and content.”

I look forward to the new issue next week KKN Di Desa Penari could take this particular title to over 10 million visitors, most local studios plan to capitalize on the current momentum with a strong lineup of releases for early 2023, many based on recognizable IPs.

The local series includes MD Pictures’ Hidayah, based on a popular 1990s television series; IDN images’ Ballad Si Roy, adapted from a popular 1980s novel series; falcon photos Bayi Ajaib, a remake of a 1980s horror classic; MVP photos Mangkujiwo 2, a sequel to the horror franchise Kuntilanak; Visinema photos Jalan Yang Jauh Jangan Lupa Pulang, a sequel to a 2020 hit; by StarVision Gita Cinta Dari SMA, a remake of a classic 1980s romance; and Rapi films Vaktu Maghrebcapitalizing on the current trend towards religiously themed horror films.

Except Marvel movies Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Disney’s upcoming Indonesian release list includes the live action version of The little mermaid and Lucasfilms Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Fortune.