Barunson E&A Co-Production ‘Ghost in the Cell’ Ranks No. 1 in Indonesia, Sparks a Box-Office Surge with Sales in 100 Countries!

Produced by Indonesian leading director Joko Anwar’s production company Come And See Pictures, which has an exclusive partnership with Barunson E&A (CEO Choi Yoon-hee, Moon Yang-kwon), and co-produced and handled for overseas sales by Barunson E&A, 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 (Ghost in the Cell) opened in Indonesia on April 16 and has continued its box-office surge, surpassing 1 million cumulative admissions and taking No. 1 at the local box office.

Directed by Joko Anwar himself, 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 is set against the backdrop of an infamous prison. As a mysterious presence begins to threaten the inmates, the story follows how rival gangs and corrupt prison guards—who were hostile to one another—end up cooperating to survive. The significance of this achievement lies in the fact that the film, despite an environment where viral content and best-selling original works tend to perform strongly, delivered these results with an original IP, breaking through 1 million admissions in just six days—considered a key indicator of box-office success in the Indonesian film market.

First unveiled as a world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, this film has drawn strong global interest as it has been sold to more than 100 countries to date through Barunson E&A. Starting with releases in Singapore and Malaysia on April 30, it is scheduled to open in Thailand on May 7, followed by a sequential rollout to major markets worldwide, including Cambodia, Taiwan, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Brazil.

Joko Anwar has established a distinctive presence not only in Indonesia but also in the global market, consistently introducing new genre experiments with each work. Even after gaining international attention through the Venice and Toronto Film Festival selection 〈Clone of My Mind〉 and the Sundance Film Festival selection 〈Impetigore〉, this momentum has continued. With 〈Grave Torture〉, a film centered on Islamic beliefs, he ranked No. 6 at the 2024 local box office. Then, in 2025, he recorded No. 10 at the box office with 〈The Siege at Thorn High〉 (Amazon MGM), which depicts the May 1998 racial riots—still a sensitive topic in Indonesian society. Despite tackling difficult material, he has consistently delivered box-office results while expanding into new genres. In this context, 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 is a work that makes you expect the biggest box-office performance of his career.

Choi Yoon-hee, CEO of Barunson E&A, said, “Director Joko Anwar is already a genre director who has drawn attention from around the world beyond Indonesia, and his position is firmly established. However, the reality is that no matter how excellent a work is, global market accessibility to Indonesian content remains limited.” She continued, “I’m glad to have become a partner who can help bridge that gap together, and I think this overseas sales performance is the starting point.” She added, “Joko, as a director, showed strengths in comedy from the beginning, and it was impressive how he combined that capability with horror in this film. We also have high expectations for the works he will present going forward.” Based on its two-year exclusive partnership agreement with Come And See Pictures, Barunson E&A plans to continue co-producing with Director Joko in the future.