Indonesian Cinema Tops Hollywood as Producers Eye Sustainability

As Variety recently reported , Indonesian cinema has achieved a remarkable market reversal, with local films now commanding the dominant box office position over Hollywood imports. But behind those statistics lies a more complex story of creative evolution, strategic risk-taking, and an industry learning to balance local authenticity with global ambitions.

The architects of this transformation — Indonesia ’s producers — are now grappling with how to sustain momentum while navigating everything from censorship battles to the challenge of serving 400 ready-to-release films through a distribution system that can only handle 150 annually.

The numbers underline the scale of the shift. Year-to-date admissions in 2025 stand at 55.8 million for local films (63% market share) against 33.4 m