Pabrik Gula Sequel Set for Early 2028, With Three Imax Films Planned for 2027
Indonesian horror Pabrik Gula is getting a sequel, due in early 2028. MD Entertainment, the Indonesian company behind the original, made the announcement through Astrid Wienardi, its head of content licensing and global business, at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei, according to Variety.
The same announcement covered the company's plans for Imax, the large-format cinema system known for its very tall screens. MD Entertainment has three Imax films planned for 2027. One of them draws on Dhot Design, a YouTube animated series about four friends, whose episodes pull between 8 million and 10 million views each.
The company has form on Imax. Badarawuhi, the prequel to the hit KKN di Desa Penari, was the first Southeast Asian film shot for Imax. The original Pabrik Gula was also the first Indonesian film given exclusive content by the format, according to MD Entertainment's own website.
Pabrik Gula was directed by Awi Suryadi. It opened nationwide on Lebaran 2025, the Eid holiday that closes the fasting month of Ramadan, and played in every cinema in Indonesia, including on Imax and 4DX screens. 4DX adds moving seats and environmental effects such as wind and scent. The company says the film sold more than 5 million tickets in Indonesia. It then travelled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, the United States and Europe.
For comparison, KKN di Desa Penari sold 10.7 million tickets in Indonesia, a figure Variety attributes to the company's own records.
MD Entertainment says it has more than 200 features and plans 12 to 13 releases in 2027. Ivanna 2 is due early next year. On streaming, the company has eight titles on Netflix and three on WeTV.
The business side is also changing. MD Entertainment took control of NET TV, a free-to-air channel, in a deal worth up to $105 million. Korea's SBS has also invested in the company. Both details were reported by Variety.
Manoj Punjabi leads MD Entertainment as Producer and CEO of MD Corp, according to the company's website.
For fans of the franchise, the news is a firm date and a longer slate. For everyone else, it shows how a horror film made in one country can become the starting point for a cinema format, a streaming catalogue and a TV channel.
