Horror stands out as the most effective genre for Taiwanese producers seeking to break into Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest film market, according to a new study by K7 Media. The findings were presented by Trang Nguyen at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei, highlighting a natural creative alignment between the two nations in the thriller space.
Indonesia’s Dominant Box Office
Indonesia generated $352.9 million in box office revenue in 2025, figures drawn from PwC, Box Office Mojo and CJ CGV Vietnam show. This total is 1.6 times the size of Vietnam’s market and five times larger than Thailand’s. The market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1 percent, outpacing the Asia-Pacific average of 4.3 percent.
Local productions dominate the multiplexes. Indonesian titles accounted for 43 percent of the 467 films released in 2025 but captured 64 percent of all admissions. Cinepoint data via the Asian Contents & Film Market indicates that 82.6 million tickets were sold for local films. In contrast, the 100 U.S. releases released that year drew only 36.9 million admissions. Other Asian imports had minimal impact, with Japanese films pulling 3.3 million admissions and Korean and Chinese titles each securing around 2 million.
Three local films have crossed the 10 million ticket threshold. These include the 2025 comedy Agak Laen: Menyala Pantiku! from Imajinari, the 2025 animated fantasy Jumbo from Visinema, and the 2022 horror film KKN di Desa Penari from MD Pictures. Horror is the genre Indonesia produces most frequently for cinema. Five of the ten most-attended Indonesian films since 2011 are horror pictures.
Collaboration and Adaptation Strategies
Recent successful horror films in Indonesia often blend scares with comedy or drama. Many draw on existing intellectual property. Foreign horror can also achieve significant success. The Korean film Exhuma sparked renewed local interest in Korean cinema during its 2024 theatrical run. The K7 Media presentation specifically highlighted The Rope Curse 4 as a recent example of Taiwan-Indonesia collaboration.
Remakes offer a second pathway for content entry. The Indonesian adaptation of the Korean film Miracle in Cell No. 7 sold approximately 5.8 million tickets in 2022 and later spawned a sequel and an animated spinoff. Kang Mak from Pee Mak, a local version of the Thai horror-comedy Pee Mak, drew roughly 4.9 million admissions in 2024. Adaptations are not limited to film-to-film transfers. A local cinematic version of the 2016 Korean series Descendants of the Sun is currently in production for a 2027 release.
For Taiwanese sellers, the market presents specific challenges. While Meteor Garden remains a cultural touchstone from the 2000s, there is little broader nostalgic goodwill for Taiwanese content. Many Indonesian viewers struggle to distinguish Taiwanese series from those produced in mainland China or Hong Kong. Catchplay+, a Taiwanese streamer, operates in Indonesia but is primarily known for Hollywood movies rather than Asian drama.
Streaming and Broadcast Landscape
The Indonesian television landscape is led by five commercial groups. MNC Group operates RCTI, MNCTV and GTV alongside streamers RCTI+ and Vision+ and the microdrama app V+Short. Emtek/SCM runs SCTV, Indosiar and Mentari TV with the Vidio streamer. Trans Media, Viva and MD Entertainment round out the major players.
Sinetron, the local soap opera format, remains the backbone of Indonesian television. These serials are produced in bulk, often airing daily or several nights a week, and can stretch to hundreds of episodes. Recent examples include RCTI’s Terikat Janji, which premiered in April 2026, and Indosiar’s Merangkai Kisah Indah, which launched in July 2025. Religious and faith-themed dramas also hold significant viewership.
Streaming platforms are shifting toward shorter romance series for younger audiences, while crime, revenge and action serve as signatures for premium programming. Vidio, launched in 2014, is Indonesia’s largest streaming platform by cumulative reach as of 2026. It partnered with Wattpad to adapt web novels into series. Netflix, which became fully accessible in 2020 after a delay by state-owned telecom Telkom, is the leading international streamer. It launched its first Indonesian original, The Cigarette Girl, in 2023.
For sellers of finished content, streaming provides the most accessible entry point. Korean shows comprised 50 percent of Netflix Indonesia’s top 50 most-watched titles between January and September 2026. Thai series To Love and Cherish topped the Viu Indonesia trending chart on September 22, 2026. Vidio saw its best-performing Korean drama, My Dearest Nemesis, after purchasing exclusive first-run rights in 2025.
Linear broadcasters also import content. MDTV airs a daily Korean drama double bill, while ANTV programs Indian series such as Jaane Anjaane. Microdramas are crossing into mainstream television. RCTI began airing them daily at 3:30 p.m. in January 2026. Vidio partnered with ReelShort in September 2026 to add over 200 titles dubbed into Bahasa Indonesia.
The K7 Media study urged Taiwanese companies to move beyond simple content sales and increase promotional activity. It identified foreign-drama specialist channels and streamers as key targets. The presentation pointed to JAFF Market, scheduled for November 28 to 30 at the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta, as a primary venue for building industry ties.
Source: Variety
