MD Entertainment, an Indonesian production studio, announced expansion plans including a sequel to its 2025 horror film “Pabrik Gula” scheduled for early 2028, along with three Imax releases planned for 2027. The announcement came during a presentation by Astrid Wienardi, the company’s head of content licensing and global business, at Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei.
“Pabrik Gula” exceeded 5 million tickets sold domestically before expanding to markets including Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, the United States, and Europe. The film’s commercial success across multiple territories prompted the studio to greenlight a sequel. Among the planned 2027 Imax films is one based on “Dhot Design,” a YouTube animated series that generates between 8 million and 10 million views per episode. The company’s Imax strategy began with “Badarawuhi,” a prequel to “KKN di Desa Penari” that marked the first Southeast Asian film shot in the format.
MD Entertainment operates across film, series, animation, music publishing, and talent management, with over 200 features in its catalog and plans for 12 to 13 releases in 2027. The studio also announced “Ivanna 2” for early next year, a spinoff from its “Danur” horror universe. Recent ventures include a Netflix deal for “Ipar Adalah Maut,” which topped the platform’s trending list in its first week and remained in the top 10 for seven consecutive weeks, with a second season in development. Additional projects include titles on WeTV, Prime Video, and a new iQIYI deal featuring two titles by December.
Wienardi emphasized that the studio’s strategy centers on preserving local identity and cultural authenticity rather than pursuing universal appeal through simplification. She attributed Indonesian horror’s cross-border success to the country’s deep folklore traditions and noted that the studio specializes in folklore-rooted horror rather than Western-style thriller formats. MD has also expanded into acquiring international properties, including Thai and Korean adaptations released this year, while fielding co-production inquiries from U.S. and European producers.
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