According to industry leaders who spoke at the JAFF market panel “Expert Witness: Transforming Indonesia’s Box Office from a Domestic and International Perspective”, the Indonesian film market will experience major changes in 2025, with box office revenues fluctuating despite breakthrough successes.
Anga Dwymas Sasonko, founder and group CEO of ViCinema and director of the film, revealed that while the animated film Jumbo produced by the company reached nearly 11 million viewers this year, making it the country’s all-time box office champion, there were some months when ticket sales fell below 3 million. The film’s seven-year production journey represents a strategic shift for Indonesian producers seeking sustainable growth beyond domestic theatrical revenues.
“When you try to be different, you always succeed,” Sasonko said, noting that Businessma’s counter-programming strategy consistently pays off. However, he stressed the need for industry consolidation and suggested the possibility of a cap of 160 films per year to combat market oversaturation.
A panel featuring producer Todd Brown highlighted the challenges of sustainable exhibition in Indonesia. Despite growing from one major movie theater chain 15 years ago to three today, the country is still severely under-screened. Large-scale infrastructure investments are difficult because the average ticket price in Thailand is less than $3, compared to more than $8.
Brown, former head of international acquisitions at XYZ Films, said that although Indonesia’s basic production quality has improved significantly, the ceiling for international breakthrough talent remains the same. “We’re still talking about the same people” 15 years ago, he noted, calling for better knowledge sharing between established and emerging filmmakers.
The market’s ban on dubbing foreign films and a generous 50/50 revenue-sharing structure with theater companies have created an unusual direct distribution model from producer to film, making traditional distributors largely irrelevant in the current ecosystem.
