3.0 Million Viewers·Sold in 148 Countries! “Ghost in the Cell” Becomes a Global Box-Office Monster From Indonesia

Barunson E&A (CEO Choi Yoon-hee, and Moon Yang-kwon) co-produced the Indonesian genre film 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 with Indonesia’s leading director Joko Anwar’s production company Come And See Pictures, and handled overseas sales. Since its local release on April 16, it has drawn cumulative audiences of 3.36 million, delivering standout performance on both box office and overseas sales fronts.

In Indonesia’s fiercely competitive theater market, where about three or more new films pour in every week, 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 topped the overall box office for three straight weeks immediately after release. After crossing the local key benchmark of 1 million viewers within just six days of its debut, it has now surpassed the 3 million viewer milestone and is currently ranked No. 2 on Indonesia’s 2026 local film box-office chart. Attention is also focused on the possibility of further gains, since the gap with the current No. 1 title is not especially large. In Indonesia, 3 million viewers is considered a level of achievement that only a few large franchises or proven IP titles manage among the year’s hit releases. Moreover, amid a period that is not the local peak theater season, “Lebaran,” the film’s ability to post such results as an original genre movie has made it an unusual case even in the local industry.

〈Ghost in the Cell〉, which was unveiled at the Berlin International Film Festival’s World Premiere in February, drew praise from overseas genre fans and critics for its genre balance—an original world built around a prison setting, with social-satirical direction, combining violence and black comedy. Since then, it has been sold to 148 countries worldwide, generating strong interest in the international market as well. After its Indonesian release, it has continued with sequential releases across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan, and releases in the West—including North America, France, Spain, and Germany—are also planned. 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 is being assessed as the highest-profile, most commercially compelling work among director Joko Anwar’s films, while also showing the greatest potential for global expansion. It is drawing attention as a new turning point in the director’s career.

Earlier, Barunson E&A presented the Vietnamese film 〈Don’t Cry, Butterfly〉 (Don’t Cry, Butterfly) at the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won awards for best film and innovation. Building on that, it continued to sell across major regions worldwide with the Indonesian horror fantasy film 〈Respati〉 (Respati), proving the overseas potential of local genre content. It also won the director award at the Fantasia International Film Festival with 〈The Book of Sijjin And Illiyyin〉 (The Book of Sijjin And Illiyyin), further demonstrating its presence in the North American genre film market. In particular, 〈Ghost in the Cell〉 is a project in which Barunson E&A carried out co-production as well. It achieved both local box-office success in Indonesia and global, full-spectrum sales at the same time, and is being viewed as one of the biggest accomplishments of its overseas business. It is currently also working on joint overseas sales with Thai studio GDH 559 for the new film 〈Inherit〉 (Inherit), the latest work by hit director Banthong Pisanthanakun.

Based on a two-year exclusive partnership contract with Come And See Pictures, Barunson E&A plans to continue collaborating with director Joko Anwar as well in the future. It is known that director Joko Anwar is preparing the third installment of the 〈Satan’s Worshipers〉 IP as his next project.