Entering the month of independence, national cinemas are now enlivened by films from various genres, ranging from drama, horror, to comedy, with increasing audience enthusiasm.
The enthusiasm was evident in two cinemas in Jakarta, Lotte Shopping Avenue and Hollywood XXI, when visited by the Suar Team on August 7, 2025 at 18.00. The atmosphere was so crowded, the lobby area was packed with visitors with a long ticket queue and most of the studios were almost fully occupied. The audience came from various age groups, most of whom seemed enthusiastic about waiting for the movie screening with family, friends, or coworkers.
On August 7, 2025, three Indonesian films from various genres were released simultaneously in theaters. The movie Lyora: Penantian Buah Hati presents a drama story based on the true story of Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Digital, with the theme of the struggle to build a family. From the horror genre, Pamali: Tumbal continues the franchise series adapted from a popular local game. Meanwhile, Panggil Aku Ayah, an adaptation of the Korean film Pawn (2020), explores the emotional relationship between father and son in the social context of Indonesian society.
Previously, on August 4, the movie Tinggal Meninggal was released. The film is a satirical comedy that raises the issue of loneliness and the need for attention, wrapped in humor and relevant social criticism.
Speaking of Box Office, a site that often reviews cinema films noted that the number of viewers for Indonesian films released in 2025 has reached 46.56 million as of July 20, 2025, equivalent to 66% of the total audience—marking a surge of 99% compared to the previous year.
It culminated when one of Indonesia's animated films Jumbo broke box office records in the Asian market, making the film directed by Ryan Adriandhy Halim the highest-grossing Southeast Asian animated film with revenues exceeding USD 8 million, or around Rp130 million (exchange rate Rp16,200).
Jumbo - a movie based on the adventures of an orphaned boy named Don. He is fat and is bullied at school.
In this movie, Don has a storybook full of magical stories - including an encounter with a fairy who asks Don to help her reconnect with her family.
One of Jumbo's viewers, Iin Kurniawati, 45, said Jumbo offers something different to the audience both in terms of picture quality and movie soundtrack songs that are pleasant to hear.
"The picture quality is good, the animation is strong, the characters are strong, and the music is good," said the woman, who watched the movie with her two children last May.
According to him, Jumbo fulfills the emotional needs of the audience by showing the reality of a child's life. "This movie teaches the meaning of solidarity with friends, unbroken family love, and teaches children to be more courageous," he said when recalling the movie Jumbo.
For weeks after its release, Jumbo kept cinemas across Indonesia packed. The movie - which began production five years ago and involved 400 local creators - surpassed the regional record set by Malaysia's Mechamato Movie in 2022.
Released at the end of March, coinciding with the school holidays ahead of Eid, Jumbo managed to set a record as the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time after recording more than 10 million viewers in 63 days in theaters.
The film made by Visinema Studios managed to displace the film KKN di Desa Penari (2022) from the top spot as the highest grossing Indonesian film, according to a release from Visinema at the end of May 2025.
Jumbo is also recorded as the Southeast Asian animated film with the highest number of viewers.
After its success in the domestic market, Jumbo is set to hit theaters overseas starting June 2025. Some of the countries that will screen the movie are Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam. In addition, the movie is also scheduled to screen in several Central Asian and European countries such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The golden years
This phenomenon has received attention from academics and film observers. Lecturer in the Film Studies Program at Bina Nusantara University (Binus), Ekky Imanjaya, called 2025 the "golden year" of Indonesian cinema. "This year is something golden, especially in terms of quantity," he told Suar, (27/7/2025).
Ekky cited the success of Agak Lain, which was followed by the animated film Jumbo and films with artistic strengths such as Sore: Wife of the Future. According to him, this success shows three things: the increasing trust of the audience in local films, the success of producers in responding to market tastes, and the opening of opportunities for breakthrough works to be commercially successful.
"Movies like Jumbo and Sore are proof that the market can accept new things. They don't copy anyone, but as the Greenhouse Effect says, they 'create their own market'," he explains.
Ekky also believes that genre diversity is the main strength of the industry today. "There is animation, there is horror with a new approach, there is sci-fi drama. That way, the audience is given the freedom to choose," he explains.
Even so, he warned filmmakers not to get stuck in repeating the same formula. He cited the trend of horror films or infidelity themes that have the potential to cause saturation if not processed innovatively.
Visinema: Innovation and Transformation
In the midst of this passion, one production house that is active in pushing the quality and diversification of content is Visinema Pictures.
Angga Dwimas Sasongko, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Visinema Pictures, is different through various innovations, while emphasizing that idealism and artistic quality are not just complements, but the main elements in achieving success.
"I believe Indonesian audiences are smart and have a demand for quality content - and we have to answer that need. Now making good and impactful movies is not a bonus, but a strategy to be successful," he explained to SUAR (29/7/2025).
For Angga Dwimas Sasongko, the birth of Visinema was not based on business calculations alone, but from a transformative shared experience while working on the film Cahaya dari Timur: Beta Maluku.
"We filmed with modest funds, but the movie not only won the Citra Cup, but became the property of the Maluku people and was screened at the State Palace. At that time I realized that what I was looking for was not awards, but impact," Angga said.
Angga dismisses the notion that idealism and the market are polar opposites. For him, both can go hand in hand. He believes that Indonesian audiences are now smart and have a high demand for quality content.
"A movie like Stealing Raden Saleh is a clear example. When we decided to make a heist movie, there was no data that said this genre would be successful. The same goes for JUMBO, an animated film born from creative intuition and empathy. We don't copy trends, but try to dive into what the audience really needs. I believe that idealism done with honesty, discipline, and empathy has a selling point," he said.
In realizing the vision, Angga shared that Visinema has now transformed not only as a film production house, but into a broader creative ecosystem. According to him, this change is driven by the mission to be the "mouthpiece" and bring change in the entertainment industry.
Angga explained that Visinema's journey started with a small and happy team vision. However, after being involved in helping earthquake victims in Mentawai, he and Visinema found a new mission to voice important issues through their works.
Currently, Visinema has entered the phase of how to transform the entertainment industry. He revealed that Visinema is not only focusing on film production, but building a larger ecosystem, such as Bioskop Online-an over-the-top (OTT) platform for local content-and Visinema Studios, a division that specializes in producing stories for children and families, including the animated film Jumbo.
"We realize that to be relevant in the future, this company has to be an ecosystem. Not just a production house, but a growth house. Therefore, we built a structure, culture, and system that allows ideas to come from anyone-not just the founder," Angga said.
Furthermore, Angga revealed that Visinema is being prepared to be independent without him. Currently, the company has many independent producers, writers, and creative leaders. Angga said that teamwork without him is a source of pride for him.
"I can come to a musical performance of Keluarga Cemara that I didn't write, didn't direct, and still feel proud because it's better than anything I imagined," he says.
Visinema is preparing its latest movie, Perang Jawa. The film will tell the narrative of Prince Diponegoro's struggle, which Angga calls one of the most monumental events in the history of anti-colonialism in Southeast Asia. He is trying to elevate the story of Prince Diponegoro in an epic film that represents the fighting spirit, courage, and spiritual values in fighting the colonial system.
Angga also conveyed a message to the younger generation who want to work in the creative world. He urged them not to rush to make it big, but to focus on their authenticity. According to him, the best work is born from the courage to fail, honest doubts, and a love for the process-not just for the sake of perfection or virality.
On the other hand, Ekky Imanjaya emphasized that the growth of the film industry must be balanced with improvements in infrastructure and regulations. He highlighted two main challenges that still hinder the progress of the national film ecosystem.
The first is the absence of an integrated box office system. "The biggest problem in the industry today is the absence of a transparent Integrated Box Office System (IBOS). We still use audience data, whereas the global standard is gross revenue," he said. He reminded that Film Law No. 33/2009 mandates the reporting and publication of audience data-but it has not been optimized.
Second, the limited number of movie screens.
"Ten million viewers of Kinda Lain is still small compared to our population. In Korea and India, the number of large screens encourages audience loyalty," he said.
He added that the queue of movies that have to wait a long time to be screened is a serious obstacle for producers and the national production cycle.
Nevertheless, Ekky remains optimistic. According to him, the diversity of genres, audience trust, and the courage of filmmakers to create their own markets are strong signals that Indonesian cinema is moving in a more mature and sustainable direction.
