‘Papa Zola The Movie’ leads Malaysian films in Indonesia, hits 515,000 admissions
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — Malaysian animated feature Papa Zola The Movie has notched another regional breakthrough after drawing 515,000 viewers in Indonesia over a 35-day run, making it the best-performing Malaysian title in the country to date.
Animation studio Monsta, which produced the film in collaboration with Astro Shaw, said the strong turnout also placed the title among Indonesia’s three top-grossing films in the early part of 2026 — a notable feat in one of Southeast Asia’s most competitive cinema markets.
In a statement, the company credited the response to storytelling that travels well across borders, pointing to universal themes, character appeal and humour that can connect with audiences despite cultural and language differences.
The Indonesia result adds to the film’s earlier performance in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Combined box-office receipts across markets have now surpassed RM69 million, reflecting sustained audience support and strengthening the film’s standing as one of Malaysia’s biggest animated commercial successes.
Monsta said the film, directed by Nizam Razak, is set to expand further with releases planned for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in late April 2026. Additional rollouts are scheduled for South Korea and Türkiye in May, followed by Vietnam and India in June.
To support the wider release strategy, the production team has prepared multiple localised voice versions, including English, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish and Vietnamese. Beyond dubbing, the team also adjusted dialogue, jokes and cultural references to better match the preferences of each target market, as the film looks to maintain its momentum and broaden Malaysia’s footprint in the international animation space.
-wilayah.com.my
