🎬 ASEAN’s Screen Shift 2025: Breaks Many Records 🚀
Local films take over and redefine regional media in Southeast Asia
🎯 The Main Takeaway
Southeast Asia’s capital cities are no longer just economic hubs—they are the new epicentres of global cinema 🎬.
In 2025, local productions entered a true Golden Era, outperforming even Hollywood’s biggest franchises 🚀.
Domestic stories are now the undisputed kings across the bloc’s most vibrant metropolises:
🇮🇩 Indonesia: The region’s box-office behemoth, where breaking the 10-million-ticket mark is the new benchmark for success.
🇹🇭 Thailand: A high-energy engine for supernatural romance and horror, continuing to set the pace for regional trends.
🇲🇾 Malaysia: A skyline-studded frontier for high-octane action and world-class animation.
🇵🇭 Philippines: An emotive heartland where star-led dramas still command massive, loyal audiences.
🇻🇳 Vietnam: The soul of a cinematic new wave, led by high-budget historical epics reclaiming the national narrative.
🔍 Why It’s on Our Radar
Regional records are falling fast.
Indonesia’s Agak Laen: Menyala Pantiku has become the country’s highest-grossing film ever, crossing 10.5 million admissions and overtaking Jumbo. It marks a first: two local films, Agak Laen 2 and Jumbo, which broke the 10-million mark in a single year.
The Agak Laen franchise has evolved from a podcast experiment into a regional powerhouse. While the 2024 original used a horror-comedy formula to draw 9.1 million viewers, the 2025 sequel, Menyala Pantiku!, pivoted to a crime-investigation plot that resonated even deeper. By shifting the setting to a mysterious nursing home, the sequel shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time with over 10.4 million admissions.
The film’s reach is expanding beyond Indonesia, with a Malaysian release slated for December 2025.
⚖️ What’s at Stake
Culture over CGI: The idea of Hollywood Hegemony—that American stories are the global default—is facing its biggest challenge yet 🌏.
Southeast Asian audiences are no longer settling for generic blockbusters when they can see their own superstitions, humor, and history on the big screen.
The stakes aren’t just financial—they’re about cultural sovereignty.
As local hits like Agak Laen 2 (Indonesia) and Red Rain (Vietnam) dominate prime-time slots, the region is proving that so-called “universal” stories actually start at home 🏠✨
🌏 The Big Picture
2025 saw “Home-Grown Heroes” dominate the leaderboard across the ASEAN bloc:
🇮🇩 Indonesia - Agak Laen: Menyala Pantiku
1st rank all-time; 10.5m viewers in record time.
🇻🇳 Vietnam - Red Rain (Mưa đỏ)
Earned 714 billion VND, becoming the most-watched film in Vietnamese history.
🇲🇾 Malaysia - Blood Brothers: Bara Naga
A gritty action hit, raking in RM 76 million, alongside the animated success of Ejen Ali 2.
🇹🇭 Thailand - The Red Envelope
Broke opening-day records for romance, while Death Whisperer 3 dominated horror.
🇵🇭 Philippines - Call Me Mother
Swept the box office with ₱300 million, proving drama remains the nation’s favourite genre.
Why This Hits Home
Identity over spectacle.
Cinema-goers are no longer satisfied with generic global tropes. They want stories that speak their language, both literally and culturally.
From the relatable comedy of Indonesia’s Agak Laen to the historical pride of Vietnam’s Red Rain, the region is finding its voice, and the audience is turning up in droves.
The Regional Stakes
A shift in investment.
The success of these titles is triggering a surge in regional co-productions. We are seeing a “South-to-South” export effect: Indonesian horror is trending in Thailand, and Malaysian animation is finding massive audiences in Manila.
This creates a self-sustaining Southeast Asian entertainment ecosystem that is increasingly independent of Los Angeles.
The Bottom Line
Local is the new gold standard. If you aren’t watching what’s coming out of the ASEAN capitals, you’re missing the most vibrant movement in modern cinema.
(ZIL/VBD/QOB)