Indonesian Horror Hit ‘Pabrik Gula’ Gets 2028 Sequel as MD Entertainment Lines Up Three Imax Films — SkimNews
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- MD Entertainment will release a sequel to the 2025 horror hit “Pabrik Gula” in early 2028 after the original sold more than 5 million tickets in Indonesia and traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, the U.S. and Europe.
- MD Entertainment has three Imax films planned for 2027, one drawing on “Dhot Design,” a YouTube animated series with 8 million to 10 million views per episode; “Badarawuhi” began the studio’s Imax relationship as the first Southeast Asian film shot for the format.
- NET TV was brought under MD Entertainment’s control in a deal worth up to $105 million, with investment from Korea’s SBS; MD uses free-to-air and pay-TV ratings collected daily at 10 a.m. to decide whether programs are extended or changed.
- Ipar Adalah Maut topped Netflix’s trending list in its first week and remained in the top 10 for seven straight weeks; Astrid Wienardi said a second season is in the works and could launch on Netflix next year.
- Induk Gajah earned a Season 2 order on Prime Video soon after its 2023 debut and helped pull in new subscribers; MD also has eight titles on Netflix and three on WeTV.
- iQIYI’s mid-October deal calls for two MD Entertainment titles to roll out by December and a third in the first quarter of 2027.
- MD Entertainment plans 12 to 13 releases in 2027, led by horror, while “Ivanna 2” is due early next year; CEO Manoj Punjabi requires every greenlight meeting to preserve the stories’ local “soul.”
Why it matters: Netflix, WeTV, Prime Video and iQIYI are distribution outlets for a demonstrated Indonesian horror pipeline: “Pabrik Gula” sold more than 5 million tickets, while MD plans 12-13 releases in 2027. The NET TV deal, worth up to $105 million, also ties program extensions to daily ratings, making audience data central to MD’s greenlighting.
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